A SHAWL worn by Princess Diana and a polo shirt worn by Prince Charles are part of a catalogue of royal items up for grabs at a Colchester auctioneer's biggest sale of the year.

A collection of items owned by Oonagh Tofollo, who was a friend and therapist to the late Princess for around six and a half years, will go under the hammer at a sale hosted by Reeman Dansie auctioneers.

A woollen shawl presented to the Princess by Iman Abdul Qadir on a state visit to Pakistan in 1991 is expected to fetch between £1,000 and £2,000.

Jonathan Benson, auctioneer, said: "This is our biggest sale this year, in fact we have 1,650 lots and have uploaded 6,000 photographs.

"We have a wonderful cross section of things here, from a £5,000 diamond ring to a £1,000 bottle of whiskey.

"There is a lot of excitement."

A polo shirt which belonged to Prince Charles is valued from £100 to £150.

It was worn by the Prince at the Guards Polo Club between 1977 and 1979, until it was shrunk in the wash and given to the vendor.

A portrait of Princess Diane by noted royal portrait artist Richard Stone, from West Bergholt, will be auctioned off with a starting price of between £2,000 and £3,000.

Mr Benson added: "Richard Stone is quite a famous painter.

"Last year he saw a record sale price for an oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II, sold for an incredible £24,000.

"He has an awful lot of auction form."

Stone began drawing at age four, developing his painting skills from the age of eight before striking up a friendship with Royal Academy painter Sir Gerald Kelly.

He has painted a number of royals, with his portrait of Her Majesty unveiled at the National Gallery in 1992.

A range of ten paintings and artwork ****LOTS 1190-1199*** worth hundreds of pounds will be auctioned off in aid of the Mayor's charity appeal.

The appeal supports Chavasse VC House, Colchester Guide Dogs, Headway Essex, St Helena Hospice, the Samaritans and the Injured Jockeys Fund.

The Royalty, Antiques and Fine Art Sale will run across Tuesday and Wednesday, at Reeman Dansie, in Wyncolls Road, Severalls Business Park, Colchester.