A slice of the late Princess of Wales’ wedding cake is to be auctioned.
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The cake – from the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles in 1981 – was kept in the attic of a former servant for 27 years and is expected to fetch up to £20,000 when it goes under the hammer at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in Gloucestershire, England.
The nine-inch square treat was given to Moyra Smith, who died earlier this year, when she worked as a servant at Clarence House, and comes with a thank-you letter singed by the princess and a commemorative bottle of beer made to mark Prince William’s birth in 1982.
Moyra’s husband Donald said: “I’m not as sentimental as Moyra was about these sort of things, but it would be nice to see the cake go to a good home.
“When the cake arrived at Clarence House Moyra was told she could have a slice from the top tier to keep for herself.”
A similar slice of the confectionary reached £17,000 when it was auctioned in 1998. Auctioneer Chris Albury said the piece is the biggest slice of the wedding cake he has seen, meaning it could reach a record price.
He said: “This piece is special because it was from the cake sent to the Queen Mother at Clarence House. I have seen lots of smaller pieces before but never one from the royal household.
“Whoever buys it will no doubt keep it – as an investment you can’t both have your cake and eat it.”
Donald is planning to use some of the proceeds of the sale to aid a charity he and Moyra set up to help the elderly.
He said: “I heard the last slice went for a fortune so that would be great for our charity.
“We helped start a charity call Furzedown which organises trips for elderly people in London. Moyra donated £2,000 for a minibus so I could drive groups for days out in Brighton and Bournemouth.”
