HER MAJEST-TEA: GBP 10,000 Tea Bag ‘Used By Queen’ Taken Down From eBay

A tea bag said to have been smuggled out of Windsor Castle after being used by the late Queen Elizabeth II has been removed from eBay.

The tea bag had a hammer price of more than GBP 10,000 but raised eyebrows with its bizarre description.

Many news outlets around the world in the US, Europe and Asia reported about the listing.

Image shows a teabag used by the late Queen, undated photo. The item was offered on eBay by a seller from the city of Decatur, Georgia, USA in September 2022. (eBay/Newsflash)

The teabag was supposedly smuggled out of Windsor Castle in 1998, the eBay listing claimed.

Its listing boasted: “This is the very teabag you might have seen on CNN in late 1998. Own a piece of History! Priceless!”

It was listed on eBay by a user in Decatur, in the US state of Georgia, for USD 12,000 (GBP 10,266).

But would-be buyers became suspicious of a spoof when they studied the small print on the listing.

The tea bag’s label reads ‘Lipton America’s Favorite Tea’ which is an export-only brand and unlikely to have been within 3,000 miles of Windsor.

The tea bag also came with a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ issued by the Institute of Excellence in Certificates of Authenticity (IECA).

But reading the wording, it guaranteed the buyer nothing.

Image shows the Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Institute of Excellence in Certificates of Authenticity (IECA) that came with the teabag, undated photo. The item was offered on eBay by a seller from the city of Decatur, Georgia, USA in September 2022. (eBay/Newsflash)

It reportedly stated that the IECA “has determined without a doubt that the following statements are absolutely true: This is a tea bag.”

A note on the ‘Certificate’ under that also said: “It was featured in an online auction claiming to sell a teabag that was used by Queen Elizabeth and smuggled out of Windsor Castle by the special exterminator that was hired when the roaches got out of control.”

Twinings are rumoured to have been the favoured supplier of tea to the Queen for decades and the firm won its first Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1837.

One former palace aide told Newsflash: “Her Majesty drank Earl Grey and sometimes Darjeeling. She didn’t dunk tea bags.”

Queen Elizabeth II memorabilia is booming on eBay since the death of the sovereign on Thursday, 8th September with many hoping to cash in on fans’ grief.

Her former retainer said: “It’s quite shocking what some people will try to sell.”