ECHOES of royal liaisons past and present will pulse through Netherhampton next month, when furniture with 100-year-old regal connections comes under the auctioneer's hammer.

Valuable items once owned by Mrs Keppel, the famous married mistress of King Edward VII and great-grandmother of another royal companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, are to be sold in a special Netherhampton salerooms auction of antiques on April 10.

Among the many pieces are a pair of stunning Chinese lacquer cabinets, which could have held intimate gifts from the portly king to his mistress, the bed they might have shared and a dramatic 19th century French clock with Egyptian revival influence, which would have stood on a drawing-room mantelpiece.

"I can see Edward VII standing there warming his back against the fire and perhaps adjusting his timepiece," said Philip Rance, the antiques specialist and auctioneer who will be taking the bids at the auction.

The items have been consigned to Southern Counties Auctioneers' Netherhampton saleroom by a client who is going to live with her family in New Zealand and cannot take all her possessions with her.

When Mr Rance went to visit her at her home near Windsor, she told him many of the articles she wanted him to sell had been bought at an auction at the family home in Winkfield of the Keppels, who are distant relatives.

He has written proof that the 19th century cabinets, made of black lacquer studded with semi-precious stones and ivory, belonged to the Keppel family.

"I estimated they were worth £3,000-£5,000 before I knew their provenance," said Mr Rance. "Now we think this figure will be exceeded.

"The late Victorian double bed is reputed to come from the same source and may well have been slept in by the King when he visited Mrs Keppel."