Robbie Williams swapped the mic for the gavel this week when he surprised bidders at Bonham’s auction house.
Robbie arrived at Bonhams sale to cheers from fans and bidders, and took over as auctioneer to successfully sell his lyrics for ‘Kids’ for well above estimate.
Bonhams Robbie Williams Charity Sale, “Doing it for the Kids”, saw more than 150 lots go under the hammer, achieving £145,000 for children’s charity, the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice.
The multi-award winning singer/songwriter provided a selection of personal items for the sale, including top lot, handwritten lyrics for Go Gentle, sold for £31,250, a Take That MTV Movie Award, sold for £10,625, a cream two-piece suit worn in the music video for Radio, sold for £5,250, and a set of handwritten lyrics for Let Me Entertain You, sold for £2,750.
The Robbie Williams Charity Sale, “Doing it for the Kids”, saw fans from across the globe arrive at Bonhams Knightsbridge salerooms, all vying to take home some of the highly sought-after items from Bonhams sale.
To the delight of all in the room, Williams took over the auction under the guidance of Bonhams’ auctioneer, James Stratton, and made £6,875 for his handwritten ‘Kids’ lyrics, estimated at £2,000 – 3,000.
The top lot was a set of lyrics handwritten by Robbie Williams for 2013 single, Go Gentle. It sold to a telephone bidder for an incredible £31,250. Elsewhere, an MTV Movie Award from Williams’ Take That days sold well. After an intense bidding war between fans on the phone, online and in the room, the hammer finally fell at £10,625.
Robbie Williams said: “It’s been a privilege to auction some of my most prized possessions from my life and career to raise money for The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice. The charity does such great work and I know they will put the money to very good use for the children and families they care for. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!”
Natalie Downing, Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia specialist, said: “What an exciting sale. The room was completely full, we’ve had bids coming in from across the globe, and we’re delighted that Robbie joined us to auction a lot, bring down the gavel, and ramp up the bidding for such a worthy cause.”
Melanie Williams, Head of High Value Partnerships at The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice said: "It’s been an incredibly exciting day and we’re delighted with the money raised which will go directly to providing care and support to children with shortened life expectancy and their families.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Robbie for his generosity and also to Bonhams and to everyone that supported the auction.”
