‘Mystery’ baby blanket crocheted by Queen Mary found in Milton Keynes house clearance

A baby blanket hand-crocheted by Queen Mary last century is to go up for auction after being discovered during a house clearance.

Mystery surrounds how the pink blanket – made by Queen Elizabeth II’s maternal parent who was affectionately known as The Queen Mother until her death in 2002 – ended up in a loft in Milton Keynes.

The finder, a 68-year-old bookkeeper, was clearing the house of her 93-year-old aunt, Margaret Brassett, who went into residential care.

She discovered the pink crocheted blanket, still in its original box and bearing a handwritten label from Buckingham Palace stating it was “made by Her Majesty the Queen”, tucked away amid piles of boxes.