Many brides and grooms through the years have followed the tradition of freezing part of their wedding cake and eating it on their first anniversary, but one royal staffer took things to the next level (and forgot the whole freezer aspect) when it came to some gifted cake.
A piece of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's 1947 royal wedding cake was recently auctioned off for £2,200 (roughly $2,800) after the family of a former royal housekeeper found it "under a bed in a suitcase," per the BBC. The 77-year-old pastry was sent to Marion Polson, who worked at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland at the time of the wedding.
Queen Elizabeth, who was still Princess Elizabeth at the time, married Prince Philip on November 20, 1947, and the couple would have celebrated their 77th anniversary next week.
In photos from auction house Reeman Dansie, the cake looks...well, not exactly fit for human consumption. However, the slice was still in its original box and paper wrapping with Polson's address, and came with a letter from Princess Elizabeth herself.
While other pieces of The Queen's wedding cake have been sold before, according to James Grinter of Reeman Dansie (via the BBC), this one is especially rare as its the first to be sold "in its completeness."
As for the lucky bidder, the BBC reported that a royal fan in China "purchased it over the phone" for a four-figure amount after the cake was only "expected to fetch £500."
In the letter, Elizabeth thanked Polson for her "delightful wedding present" and noted that she "was enchanted with the dessert service" during the royal wedding.
The late housekeeper served the Royal Family for 38 years, per the BBC, and held on to her royal wedding souvenir "until her death in the 1980s, when it was stashed away under a bed with some of her belongings."
This isn't the first piece of Elizabeth's royal wedding memorabilia to go up for sale in 2024. In July, a bridesmaids dress worn by her friend Lady Elizabeth Lambard sold at auction for $48,420.
While the cake is a literal slice of royal history, at the end of the day, Grinter quipped, "I don't think I'd particularly want to eat it, I must admit." Let's just hope our lucky bidder doesn't dig in for an anniversary tribute on Nov. 20.
