Slice of Charles and Diana's wedding cake for sale 41 years later

A slice of royal history! Fruit cake made for Charles and Diana’s 1981 wedding is set to fetch £300 at auction – 41 years after it was made – and comes with a handwritten thank you note from the now King

  • Well-preserved slice of cake made for Charles and Diana’s wedding is for sale 
  • Piece of fruit cake was kept by Nigel Ricketts, who worked in Royal household
  • There is also a hand-written, thank you note from the King and his former bride

A slice of fruit cake served at King Charles and the Princess of Wales’ wedding is now for sale – 41 years after the famed 1981 ceremony watched by millions. 

The rectangular portion – which has hardly deteriorated despite the decades passed – is thought to have come from the bottom layer of the impressive five tier dessert.

It was given to Nigel Ricketts, who served as the French polisher in the Royal household at the time and kept a piece – in its original presentation box – for the rest of his life.

A handwritten thank-you letter from the new monarch – then Prince – and his former bride is also available, addressed to members of the Royal household staff. 

This slice has a pre-sale estimate of £300 while the letter is valued at £150. 

A slice of fruit cake served at King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales’ wedding is now for sale – 41 years after the famed 1981 ceremony watched by millions

The rectangular portion – which has hardly deteriorated despite the decades passed – is thought to have come from the bottom layer of the impressive five tier dessert

The lid of the small container has the Prince of Wales’ insignia along with the initials C and D in calligraphy writing and ‘Buckingham Palace 29th July 1981.’

Mr Ricketts died earlier this year and an expert from Dore and Rees Auctioneers of Frome, Somerset, was called to his home in Westbury, Wiltshire, to value some items.

He found the wedding cake still wrapped in its doily and grease-proof paper inside the box.

Despite its age, the piece has hardly deteriorated, probably preserved by the large amount of alcohol that was used to make it – with the sale set to take place tomorrow.

Despite its age, the piece has hardly deteriorated, probably preserved by the large amount of alcohol that was used to make it – with the sale set to take place tomorrow. Pictured, the wedding cake at Charles and Diana’s wedding

The ‘wedding of the century’ was watched by an estimated global TV audience of 750 million people, with street parties held throughout the United Kingdom to celebrate it

In total, 23 official cakes were made for the wedding, including a centrepiece 5ft tall layered fruitcake weighing 225lbs. 

In 2014, a slice of it was sold for $1,375 (£990) in an auction held in Los Angeles, California.

The note of gratitude was written out to Mr Ricketts and thanked the Royal household staff for their joint wedding present of a writing table.

The King penned his and Diana’s ‘warmest and most appreciative thanks’ for the ‘magnificent’ gift.

‘Diana and I are touched beyond words that you should have gone to so much trouble to find something so eminently useful,’ he added. ‘And I can assure you that we will treasure it in whichever house it finally comes to rest!’

There are also several invitations sent to Mr Ricketts for Christmas dances hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle during the early 1980s.


A handwritten thank-you letter (pictured left and right) from the new monarch – then Prince – and his former bride is also available, addressed to members of the Royal household staff

Mr Ricketts worked as a French polisher and furniture restorer in the Royal household at Windsor Castle from 1980 to 1985. 

Guy Taylor, head of interior sales at Dore and Rees, said there are ‘three or four Royal-related items’ from his estate.

He added: ‘These items were laid out on a table for us to view by a friend of the late Mr Ricketts. The cake was in its original box which wasn’t sealed.

‘You probably wouldn’t want to eat it now but the amount of alcohol probably preserved it and it still looks like a slice of wedding cake which has kept its shape and form.’

The lid of the small container has the Prince of Wales’ insignia along with the initials C and D in calligraphy writing and ‘Buckingham Palace 29th July 1981’

There are also several invitations sent to Mr Ricketts for Christmas dances hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle during the early 1980s

The ‘wedding of the century’ was watched by an estimated global TV audience of 750 million people, with street parties held throughout the United Kingdom to celebrate it.

However, the pair’s relationship suffered a public fallout following accusations of affairs, and they separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996 after 15 years of marriage.

The new series of The Crown, which is due for release on November 9 on Netflix, is to controversially dramatise the ‘all out war’ between the couple.

Last week Netflix shared its first official glimpse at Charles, Diana, William and Harry together as a family in season five of the hit series.

The pictures, which were posted on the show’s official social media pages, showed the now King, played by Dominic West in the series, alongside his late wife, played by Elizabeth Debicki, and their children Prince William (Timothee Samborand) and Harry (Teddy Hawley.)

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