Diana and Prince Charles: their wedding cake sold at auction

It’s a piece of cake and a piece of history. While next August 31 will mark the sad 25th anniversary of Lady Di’s death, it is an unusual object linked to her that will soon be auctioned. Indeed, as reported in particular by the Telegraph, a share of the royal wedding cake of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer should be sold for a price reaching 4,000 pounds, or more than 4,700 euros, during an auction organized by Hansons Auctioneers on August 27 in London.

“Handle with care. Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake”. These are the few words that have been neatly handwritten on a label hanging from a box adorned with a yellow photo of flowers that contains the precious piece of royal cake. This last piece of cake is one of 23 wedding cakes that were served at the wedding, as reported by the British daily The Guardian.

© abacapress

The seller, Gerry Layton, a resident of Leeds, England, had actually already bought twice the piece of cake! It was the first time on August 11, 2021 and for a price of 2,170 pounds sterling, or more than 2,500 euros, at the British auction house Dominic Winter Auctioneers. He had planned to bequeath it to charities upon his succession, but he decided it would be nice to give it away for a good cause. He therefore donated the piece of royal cake to an auction for the benefit of a home for sick children, the Martin House Children’s Hospice of Boston Spa, near Leeds, his hometown, in May 2021.

Only, reversal of situation, the yacht captain, who organizes luxury excursions on the Thames in London, could not bring himself to let go of his dessert without having tasted the cake. “I could not resist. I’ve always said I’d love to munch on the fruitcake crumbs, and as I watched auctioneer Charles Hanson sell it, I suddenly thought to myself that I couldn’t let it go. I need to take a small bite. Bids went up to £2,000 and I ended up buying it back! So I spent over £4,000 on just one piece of royal wedding cake,” he explained. No regrets however Gerry Layton because according to him, “he is worth every penny”. “It is the only piece like this in the world”.

So how come the cake is auctioned again on August 31? “I hadn’t planned on reselling the cake, but Charles Hanson approached me after the charity auction and offered to sell it at Hansons Auctioneers. Before I knew it, he had convinced me to do it! I just hope I don’t get gripped by the curse of the cake and start bidding again – because I still haven’t eaten a single bite!” the seller told the Telegraph.

The piece of cake is made of marzipan with, on top, an icing featuring the coat of arms of the British royal house. This share had originally been offered to Moyra Smith, at the time an employee of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, and therefore the grandmother of Prince Charles. She had kept it carefully in her attic until her family put it up for sale in 2008 via the Dominic Winter Auctioneers auction house and sold it to an unknown private collector.

It is only in July 2021 that the share will be put back on sale and bought by Gerry Layton. As a reminder, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana took place on July 29, 1981. 41 years after the event, and although the seller has already bought it twice, this share of dessert will therefore be again on sale August 27 in London.