A WINSTON CHURCHILL Havana cigar goes up for auction next month at Christie’s, part of a collection of the wartime leader’s effects that is expected to raise £1M.


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Among the other memorabilia on sale are hundreds of the former PM’s letters and books and his engagement diary covering the cataclysmic war years.

In the diary, meetings are outlined with the big players from World War II, such as US President Franklin Roosevelt, Free French leader Charles De Gaulle and Soviet boss Josef Stalin, as well Winnie’s weekly sessions with the king.

“The most important private collection of letters and books related to Winston Churchill ever assembled,” is how Christie’s described the sale.

Malcolm S Forbes was the assembler and is the current owner. His granddad, BC Forbes, was the one who started the famous finance magazine.

The first leg of the Churchill sale takes place at Christie’s London on 2 June, with a second leg set for New York in December and a third back in London this time next year.