Upon Laura Dunsmuir’s death in 1937, she left instructions in her will that the estate and all its contents were to be sold. This was a long and difficult process and the estate was managed in the meantime by a skeleton staff of about 10 people. There was a monthly transfer of $1500 from the estate of Laura Dunsmuir to cover the cost of running Hatley Park. In late May 1939, King George the VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Vancouver and Victoria on the western leg of their cross-Canada tour. They spent a full afternoon at Hatley Park and picnicked on the property. In the following days, June 1-5, a week-long auction for the contents of the house was held and most of the contents were sold off at bargain prices. The catalogue cost 25c to purchase and included admission to the auction held onsite at Hatley Park. Many locals took the opportunity to come and tour the property for the first time rather than make purchases in the auction.
