Right now, it is the most famous pencil on the planet – and that’s saying something. Not sure what, but it’s saying something.
It is, of course, the pencil stolen from right under the royal noses of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The thief is already well known to the authorities and everyone else – because she’s Camila Cabello.
The singer’s made a brazen confession to the crime, after being dared to steal it by Radio 1’s Greg James. The daylight robbery took place while the two were at Kensington Palace meeting the finalists of Radio 1’s Teen Hero Awards.
But while recovery of HRH’s HB may take time, is it possible to put a value on the stolen pencil – or is it too hot to handle?
If anyone knows, it’s Lee Young from the Antiques Roadshow.
“Intrinsically, the pencil’s worth very little,” says Lee – immediately risking ruining the story. But then he drops a bombshell.
“But with that provenance… you might get a few thousand pounds.”
While that sinks in, let’s have a look at Camila’s confession….
"I am sorry William and I am sorry Kate" 😂 @KensingtonRoyal@GregJames may have got @Camila_Cabello into a bit of trouble at the Palace 👀 pic.twitter.com/aKArMdD04H
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) November 26, 2019
So, back to the valuation. In terms of description, we believe it to be a “small pencil, classic wood with no paint or branding, standard lead and recently sharpened”.
“The first thing we’d need to do is substantiate the story,” says Lee.
“If we believe the story, which we do, then there are some other key things. We could do some DNA checking – but that’s possibly a bit extreme in this case. But we’d look at general patina and wear and compare it to other pencils at the Palace.”
And Lee’s convinced it will make money because Prince William and Kate are loved “around the world”.
By Duncan Middleton Via BBC