The court heard that on Sept 16 last year – just eight days after the late Queen’s passing – Marshall created the eBay advert, claiming to have worked as a royal footman and been granted permission from the royal household to sell her stick.
Marshall wrote: “It was a massive honour serving under the Queen’s leadership.”
However, prosecutor Laura Jenking-Rees told the court: “He was being dishonest – he did not have the Queen’s walking stick.
“He was not a footman and he was not raising money for charity.”
The auction attracted five bidders, one of whom demanded proof that the item was genuine.
When Marshall failed to respond, the Royalty and Specialist Protection branch of the Metropolitan Police were alerted and officers raided his home.
Marshall’s laptop was seized and officers discovered that his search history included “how to remove an eBay advertisement” and “good solicitors Southampton”.
After being arrested, he told police that his eBay account had been hacked by an anti-royalist friend in Spain.
‘It was not about money or finances’
Giving evidence in court, Marshall claimed he had never intended to scam anyone and was simply engaging in a social experiment.
He told the hearing: “I consider myself to be a royalist and just wanted to see what would happen.
“It was not about money or finances. It was curiosity. Bad curiosity but curiosity nonetheless.
“I wanted to see how seriously it would be taken by people viewing the post.”
He went on to concede his actions were “stupidity at its finest”, adding: “It feels like a monstrous betrayal of the House of Windsor. It’s something I deeply regret.”
However, convicting Marshall, the presiding magistrate told him: “We did not find anything you said in court today credible.”
Marshall, now of Romsey, Hants, will be sentenced in January.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
