Slice of the Queen’s wedding ceremony cake from when she married Prince Philip in 1947 is ready to fetch £500 after being present in a suitcase below a mattress
A 77-year-old slice of wedding cake from the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip which was found in a suitcase under a bed has emerged for sale.
The ‘incredibly fragile’ slither of the alcohol-laced fruit cake was one of 2,000 dished out to guests after the royal wedding on November 20, 1947.
The royal couple’s lavish cake stood at a whopping 9ft tall and consisted of four tiers.
The slice was sent by Princess Elizabeth to Marion Polson, the Housekeeper at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from 1931 to 1969.
A 77-year-old slice of wedding cake from the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip which was found in a suitcase under a bed has emerged for sale
Queen Elizabeth II with husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on their wedding day, November 20, 1947
It was a token of thanks after she had bought the newlyweds a ‘delightful’ desert service as a wedding gift.
The Daily Mail’s news report on the cake
She kept hold of the cake until her death in the 1980s when it was put away in a suitcase under a bed with some of her other belongings.
Her Scottish family recently re-discovered the 4ins by 3ins slice in its original presentation box alongside a letter from Elizabeth on Buckingham Palace paper dated April 1948.
It reads: ‘My husband and I are deeply touched to know that you shared in giving us such a delightful wedding present.
‘We are both enchanted with the desert service; the different flowers and the beautiful colouring will, I know, be greatly admired by all who see it.’
The slice is going under the hammer at auctioneers Reeman Dansie, of Colchester, Essex, with an estimate of £500.
James Grinter, specialist at Reeman Dansie, said: ‘Marion Polson died in the 1980s and the cake has literally been in a suitcase under a bed with her other things since then, until it was sent down from Scotland to us.
‘The fact that it has been kept like that and not seen the light of day for many years has probably helped preserve it.
The slice was sent by Princess Elizabeth with a thank you letter to Marion Polson, the Housekeeper at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from 1931 to 1969
The Royal couple’s lavish cake stood at a whopping 9ft tall and consisted of four tiers
The presentation card included in the box that the slice of cake comes in
The cake is seen covered by a patterned piece of paper. It is expected to sell for up to £500
The original packaging complete with address label. It was posted to Marion Polson at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
The presentation box that the cake was sent in. All of the wedding guests got a slice of the nine-tier cake
‘It is a very rare thing – a time capsule piece – although I wouldn’t fancy eating it!’
The royal wedding cake was designed by the chief confectioner at McVitie and Price Ltd – the confectionary firm that is known as McVitie’s today.
As rationing from the war was still underway, the ingredients for the 500lb fruit cake had to be flown to the UK from South Africa and Australia, earning it the nickname ‘the 10,000 mile cake’.
It was cut by Prince Philip with his ceremonial sword and produced 2,000 slices for guests, with hundreds further sent with hand-written notes to various charities and organisations across the globe.
The sale takes place on November 5.
