Buckingham Palace works uncover trove of everyday items dating back to 1800s

It revealed the monarch would work the room in a "clockwise direction", and that aides were asked to encourage the 350 British guests to mingle with the diplomats at the annual gathering.

"The British guests will be distributed throughout the State Rooms, except the Music Room and West Gallery, where they should be encouraged to talk to the Diplomats," the sheet reads.

Blank Littlewoods Football Pool betting slips from 1957 and a scrap of West End theatre listings from The Standard newspaper in 1889 were also found, alongside fragments of Minton decorative ceramic tiles from a fireplace hearth, with the design dated to around the mid-1800s.

A pewter tankard, a wooden junction box and a faded box containing six Christmas cards were included in the haul.

Examples of electrical wire covered with vulcanised Indian rubber cabling were found. It was replaced as priority when the restoration began as it posed the greatest risk of fire to the building.

Also discovered were pages from the Daily Express newspaper in 1966 detailing the "maximum security" prison where the Great Train Robbers were incarcerated.

The article had pictures of Durham Prison, revealing that "the men who were found guilty of stealing a fortune in mailbags spend their week stitching them for nine shillings".

Meanwhile, the whist drive ticket, priced at 6d or sixpence, would have taken place during the reign of King Charles III's grandfather, George VI, hosted by the Buckingham palace social club.