Cake slice from Charles-Diana's 1981 wedding set for auction; check its estimated price

King Charles and Princess Diana tied the knot at a royal wedding in 1981. However, the fruitcake at their wedding is ready to be served 41 years later at an auction, where a lucky bidder will be able to witness, although not devour, a slice of the dessert. The cake was preserved by Nigel Ricketts, a polisher at Windsor Castle and a guest at the royal wedding of July 29, 1981. After Ricketts’ death earlier this year, the cake will be going under the hammer at an auction by Dore and Rees in the United Kingdom, the New York Post reported.

“You probably wouldn’t want to eat it now but the amount of alcohol [in it] probably preserved it,” Guy Tayler, head of interior sales at the auction house told the Daily Mail. “It still looks like a slice of wedding cake which has kept its shape and form,” Tayler added. While the piece of cake has a pre-sale estimate of £300, it is speculated to be sold for far more, and will be carefully placed inside its original box.

A handwritten note will also go under the hammer

The royal wedding of King Charles and Princess Diana had 23 official cakes. However, the slice in question was extracted from the five-tier centerpiece fruitcake that stood five feet tall at the ceremony. In 2014, the sweet treat was sold for £990. Along with the cake slice, the auction house will also be selling a gratitude note which was written by King Charles and sent to staffers at the time of the wedding. The note was one of Ricketts’ possessions, however, it mentioned his co-worker Peter on it. 

Ricketts, along with his fellow workers at the royal household, had contributed money to purchase a writing table for the couple as a wedding gift. “Diana and I are touched beyond words that you should have gone to so much trouble to find something so eminently useful,” the letter reads. “And I can assure you that we will treasure it in whichever house it finally comes to rest!” it adds. According to the official website of Dore and Rees, the handwritten note is estimated to be sold at £150.