350 items belonging to Countess Mountbatten, Prince Charles' godmother, heading to auction

A "glittering" collection of items belonging to the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma, including a 1950s toy robot and a bracelet that once belonged to Queen Victoria, are heading to auction and expected to fetch up to £1.5million.

The possessions of the Countess, born Patricia Mountbatten, includes over 400 items. The articles will be made available for sale in March by auction house Sotheby's. The company promises that "collectors have the chance to see the story of the twentieth century unfold and acquire evocative vestiges of a glittering way of life," reports Mail Online.

The 1950s toy robot which runs on batteries is alone estimated to fetch between £4,000 and £6,000. It was given by the Countess' father, Lord Mountbatten, to his grandchildren. The diamond and gold bracelet of Queen Victoria, which has a portrait of a young Prince Albert, could also be sold for the same amount.

A pair of jewelled gold and enamel elephants from Jaipur, India, are expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000. A Fabergé clock, which dates from between 1896 and 1903, is estimated to sell for between £15,000 and £25,000. There are several other personal mementos, meaningful gifts, and family heirlooms in the stunning collection.

The late Countess was cousin to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the godmother to his son, Prince Charles. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Charles' beloved great-uncle and the last Viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten, and his wife, Edwina.

She survived the deadly IRA blast in 1979 that claimed the life of her father Lord Mountbatten, her 14-year-old son Nicholas, and her mother-in-law, Lady Brabourne. After Lord Mountbatten's death, she succeeded him as the Countess of Burma and secured a seat in the House of Lords, where she remained until 1999 when the House of Lords Act 1999 removed most hereditary peers from the House.

Her husband John Knatchbull, a film producer, passed away in 2005. The Countess herself passed away in 2017 at the age of 93, and her funeral was attended by members of the British royal family including the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles.