A slice of cake from Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding cake has been sold for 1,850 GBP ($2,565) at an auction - more than 40 years after the fairy-tale marriage took place.
The generous slice is from one of the 23 official wedding cakes the British royal couple served at their wedding.
After a flurry of bidding from across the world, the cake piece was sold on Wednesday to Gerry Layton.
It was expected to raise just 500 GBP but auctioneers said they were “amazed” at the interest.
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Layton, a luxury boat charterer, said he has put in his will that the cake along with his estate to go to charity after his death.
Layton said he planned to make the trip from Yorkshire to Gloucestershire to collect the cake next week, as he wanted to ensure it remained in good condition.
Chris Albury, a royal memorabilia specialist at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester, said he was amazed at the number of interested bidders.
After Prince Charles' and Lady Diana's wedding, the piece of cake was given to Moyra Smith. She preserved the marzipan topping with cling film. The topping features a sugared royal coat-of-arms coloured in gold, red, blue and silver mounted on top.
In 2008, another slice of cake-- marzipan topping from Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding was auctioned off, along with a typed letter signed by Charles and Diana thanking Mrs Smith (Moyra Smith) for her contribution towards a clock they were given as a wedding present.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981. Charles and Diana split 11 years later in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Diana died in a horrific car crash in Paris in 1997. The piece of cake is akin to a historic piece of memorabilia as Princess Diana continues to be an icon and admired figure across the globe.
--With PTI inputs