1898 cover to Switzerland franked SG201 2 1/2d. Everyday humdrum item really…. But a closer look at the reverse shows it was sent from BUCKINGHAM PALACE. There must have been a lot of mail sent from the royal gaff but I don’t see much of it kicking about.

I can’t find too much about the recipient, Mrs Schoch to connect her to the British royal household, but it is almost certain she was part of the family who founded Dr A Schoch PPG a paint and pigment factory in Burgdorf. Their main product was white lead which was then the main white pigment used in paint (long before it was recognised as toxic). Highly likely that Buckingham Palace used a lot of this back then, so that might be the connection… idle speculation of course.