A slice of cake from Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding has been sold for £1,850 at an auction.
It was handed to Moyra Smith, a member of the Queen Mother’s Clarence House staff, who wrapped the topping in cling film to keep it safe.
The sugared onlay of the royal coat-of-arms in gold, red, blue, and silver is from one of the 23 official wedding cakes.
Gerry Layton of Leeds won the cake via an online auction.
It was anticipated to fetch just £500, but the auctioneers were “amazed” by the response.
Mr. Layton, a luxury boat charterer, said the cake, along with the rest of his fortune, would be donated to charity after his death.
“I also thought that I could put it up as a raffle prize with some of the money going to Centrepoint, which Princess Di was patron of,” he said.
“I will have to think of a way to stop myself from trying to eat it though.”
Mr. Layton said he intended to go from Yorkshire to Gloucestershire next week to collect the cake because he wanted to make sure it stayed in excellent shape.
Bidders from the United Kingdom, the United States, and many Middle Eastern countries expressed interest, according to the auctioneers.
“It seemed to get far more attention than when we sold it with a Charles and Diana thank-you letter 13 years ago,” said royal memorabilia specialist Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
“The bidding started at £300 and with commission bids, the internet and phone bidding quickly rose to the winning price of £1,850.
“This was an irresistible piece of royal memorabilia history for many.”
Mrs. Smith stored the piece in an old flowery cake tin with a handwritten note on the top that read: “Handle with Care – Prince Charles & Princess Diane’s [sic] Wedding Cake,” which she signed and dated July 27, 1981.
The cake was sold to a collector in 2008, and it is now up for sale 40 years after Charles and Diana married.
On July 29, 1981, the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, who later became Diana, Princess of Wales, in St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
After 11 years of marriage, the pair separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
