Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
The late Queen Elizabeth II‘s chief cake maker has been laid to rest with his piping bag in hand as tributes for the ‘Master of the Royal Icing’ pour in.
Eddie Spence MBE was responsible for almost every major baked good during the Queen’s reign.
In his 71-year-long career, Mr Spence created the centrepiece at King Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding, the late Queen’s silver and golden jubilee and Princess Margarets nuptials to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.
Upon his passing at the age of 91, his wife Tracey Spence paid tribute: “A small tribute to a legend my Superman my hero, my reason for being my amazing husband. The Master of Royal Icing but so much more.”
“You are now teaching the angels your skills. I can imagine clouds of Icing sugar everywhere, telling them to change their piping bag every 20 minutes,” Mrs Spence shared in a social media post.
She told the Bournemouth Echo that she had placed a piping bag in his hand at the chapel of rest so that “he is ready to teach the angel his skills.”
Born in Edinburgh, Mr Spence began his career at the age of 14 before serving as an apprentice for six years at Mackie’s confectioners.
It was here he began his lifelong assistance to the royals, having spent an entire day beating the eggs for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip’s wedding cake in 1947.
His years of elaborate designs earned him an MBE for services to sugar craft in 2000 and jokes about having “royal icing piping through his veins”.
His last royal commission was for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in 2017, seven decades after he helped create the original.
He was also the mastermind behind Charles and Diana’s cake in 1981 - of which a piece sold for over £2,000 at an auction in 2021.
His personal favourite creation was the cake he designed for Princess Margaret’s wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.
“I remember receiving a letter telling me she wanted it to be traditional, so that’s what we did,” he previously told the DailyMail. “The detail on that cake was amazing and it took a lot of hard work.”
Among the ranks of Mr Spence’s most impressive cakes was the Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee cake which featured a detailed gold carriage weighing 56lbs.
