A ball gown worn by the then Princess Elizabeth and gifted to a telephone operator  is now to be auctioned. The dress designed by influential fashion designer Norman Hartnell, the respected and official Royal Family clothier, is set to make a minimum of £25,000. Speaking to a 1961 issue of Woman's Own which featured the beautiful gown, Kathleen Ward, who worked at Buckingham Palace for six years, gives an extraordinary insight into the royal family before the coronation of the monarch. Scroll down for video Queen of style: A luxurious pink silk ball gown worn in the 1940s by Queen Elizabeth and later gifted to a telephone operator working at Buckingham Palace at the time
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In 1949, Kathleen Ward worked as a telephone operator for the Royals
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The 18-year-old received the dress after the Queen worn it on a night out
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Fashion designer Norman Hartnell designed the ball gown
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Los Angeles based auctioneers Nate D Sanders are now selling it online
'A red velvet evening dress, a dusty pink afternoon dress and a pink and white @placeholder evening dress.