diff --git a/Lib/mailbox.py b/Lib/mailbox.py
--- a/Lib/mailbox.py
+++ b/Lib/mailbox.py
@@ -1919,9 +1919,10 @@
 
     def close(self):
         """Close the file."""
-        if hasattr(self._file, 'close'):
-            self._file.close()
-        del self._file
+        if hasattr(self, '_file'):
+            if hasattr(self._file, 'close'):
+                self._file.close()
+            del self._file
 
     def _read(self, size, read_method):
         """Read size bytes using read_method."""
@@ -1953,7 +1954,7 @@
 
     @property
     def closed(self):
-        return self._file.closed
+        return not hasattr(self, '_file') or self._file.closed
 
 
 class _PartialFile(_ProxyFile):
@@ -1991,7 +1992,8 @@
     def close(self):
         # do *not* close the underlying file object for partial files,
         # since it's global to the mailbox object
-        del self._file
+        if hasattr(self, '_file'):
+            del self._file
 
 
 def _lock_file(f, dotlock=True):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_mailbox.py b/Lib/test/test_mailbox.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_mailbox.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_mailbox.py
@@ -297,6 +297,13 @@
         self.assertEqual(data1.decode('ascii').replace(os.linesep, '\n'),
                          _sample_message)
 
+    def test_get_file_can_be_closed_twice(self):
+        # Issue 11700
+        key = self._box.add(_sample_message)
+        f = self._box.get_file(key)
+        f.close()
+        f.close()
+
     def test_iterkeys(self):
         # Get keys using iterkeys()
         self._check_iteration(self._box.keys, do_keys=True, do_values=False)
@@ -1835,7 +1842,10 @@
     def _test_close(self, proxy):
         # Close a file
         proxy.close()
-        self.assertRaises(AttributeError, lambda: proxy.close())
+        self.assertTrue(proxy.closed)
+        # Issue 11700 subsequent closes should be a no-op.
+        proxy.close()
+        self.assertTrue(proxy.closed)
 
 
 class TestProxyFile(TestProxyFileBase):