Royal x-rays withdrawn from U.K. auction

Dental x-rays of Queen Elizabeth's family have been withdrawn from auction at her request, according to a story by the BBC.

The 18 images of Elizabeth II's teeth, together with those of her mother and father, King George VI, were taken between 1942 and 1946. The x-rays were found in a house in Surrey, U.K, and were due to be auctioned April 6.

But a spokesperson from the Dominic Winter auction house said they were asked to remove the lot from the sale, adding that the queen's lawyers told them that the right of privacy for medical records survives death.

Stephen Hancocks, editor of the British Dental Journal, examined the x-rays of King George VI's teeth and said there was evidence of bone loss that may have been due to gum disease, possibly from the king's heavy smoking, according to the story.

He said there was no way to tell whether teeth caused a speech impediment of George VI, the subject of the Oscar-winning film, "The King's Speech."

The x-rays came from the dental practice of Aldred & Freeth, the BBC reported, and were discovered among junk abandoned in the house in Leatherhead.

They were found in two boxes of dental filing cards and wartime dental x-rays of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, and Queen Wilhelmina of Holland.

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