The “very, very rare” piece of fruit cake sold for four times the expected amount when it went under the hammer
A slice of wedding cake from the nuptials of the future Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip — a full 77 years ago — has sold for over four times its expected value at auction.
After being found under a bed in a suitcase, the piece of fruit cake netted over $2,800 after it was estimated to pull in about $650, according to the BBC. The original cake was served to 2,000 guests at the Nov. 20, 1947 wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, a gift from Marion Polson, the housekeeper at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland from 1931 to 1969.
A bidder from China won the “very, very rare” slice of cake by purchasing it over the phone.
“It’s a real little find, a little time capsule of glorious cake,” said James Grinter of the auction house Reeman Dansie.
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After purchasing the couple a “delightful” dessert service, Polson was given a slice of the cake as a thank you. She kept it until her death in the 1980s, when it found its way under a bed with some of her other possessions. When found, the cake was still in its original presentation box, and came with a letter from Princess Elizabeth herself, dated November 1947, the same month as her wedding day.
“My husband and I are deeply touched to know that you shared in giving us such a delightful wedding present,” the future Queen wrote. (She would take the throne on Feb. 6, 1952, less than five years later.)
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“We are both enchanted with the dessert service,” the former Princess Elizabeth continued. “The different flowers and the beautiful coloring will, I know, be greatly admired by all who see it.”
The couple’s cake was nine feet tall and weighed in at a whopping 500 pounds.
Polson’s family contacted Reeman Dansie earlier this year, and Grinter said Polson’s slice of cake was the first piece ever sold “in its completeness.”
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“This one actually has its original contents which is very, very rare,” he said. “Bear in mind, it was produced at a time of rationing … They had the most magnificent cake made for them. I’ve seen photographs of it — it would fill half a room, it was absolutely enormous.”
Elizabeth and Philip’s cake consisted of four tiers and was laced with alcohol, the BBC reported.
Grinter admitted, however, that the cake was no longer in the best condition, saying, “I don’t think I’d particularly want to eat it, I must admit.”
