A piece of wedding cake more than forty years old might not be everyone's dream purchase but for one bidder in Leeds, it's the ultimate auction coup.
A mystery internet buyer from the city has purchased a slice of the Prince and Princess of Wales wedding cake at auction, paying top dollar for the slab - which features a marzipan base and a large piece of icing emblazoned with a sugared onlay of the royal crest.
The bidder forked out nearly £2,000 for the extra mature slice, which comes from one of 23 official wedding cakes released when Charles and Dianna got married in 1981. A serious amount of money to spend on a cake that you (probably) can't actually eat.
The cake was stored wrapped in clingfilm in a floral tin for years / Image: Dominic Winter Auctioneers / PA
The slice was originally given to Moya Smith, who was a member of the Queen Mother's household in residence at Clarence House at the time of the wedding.
She'd begun her career in the kitchen, before moving on to more general duties in the household at the suggestion of Lady Jean Rankin.
Moya preserved the topping with cling film, before storing it in an old floral cake tin labelled "Handle with Care - Prince Charles & Princess Diane's (sic) Wedding Cake" and dated 29/7/81, where it then sat for quite a few years before being sold by her family to a collector in 2008.
Since being sold in 2008, the cake came up for auction once again - this time around the time of what would've been the couple's 40th wedding anniversity.
The fourty-year-old royal wedding cake slice went under the hammer in Gloucestershire on Wednesday, and was initially expected to go for somewhere between £300 and £500.
However, auctioneers were pleasantly surprised to find a huge amount of interest in the cake - which ended up in a flurry of bigs that pushed the final sale price to £1,850.
"We were amazed at the numbers of people wanting to bid on this large and unique piece of royal cake icing," said Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter Auctioneer.
"It seemed to get far more attention than when we sold it with a Charles & Diana thank you letter 13 years ago.
"There were lots of inquiries from bidders, mostly in the UK, USA and several countries in the Middle East.
It's thought that the slice up for auction comes either from the side of a cake, or from the top of a single-tier cake / Image: Dominic Winter Auctioneers / PA
"The bidding started at £300 and with commission bids, the internet and phone bidding, quickly rose to the winning price of £1,850.
"It was bought by an internet bidder in Leeds.
"As yet we haven't had a chance to speak to them to get a reaction or ask why they bought it, but it seems that this was an irresistible piece of royal memorabilia history for many."
Prince Charles and Lady Dianna married in 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29 and had a total of 23 wedding cakes at the ceremony.
The couple's centrepiece cake was a five-tiered creation, but there were also some 22 other cakes supplied for the occasion by various bakers.
The cake was sold with a printed ceremonial and order of service programmes for the wedding, as well as a memorial Royal Wedding Breakfast programme for Buckingham Palace.
Feature image - Dominic Winter Auctioneers / PA
News
Step inside this stunning ultra-modern South Yorkshire home listed for under £1 million
Have alookat this stunning, futuristic family home that's currently on the market.
If you've ever wanted to live in a home that resembles a spaceship, then boy oh boy have we got the home for you.
This is Bennetthorpe House over in Doncaster, a truly impressive architect designed family residence that's so swish it even featured on one of the very first episodes of Grand Designs.
Now that's an accolade.
Images: Rightmove
Set across three floors, the home has a whopping five bedrooms and three bathrooms as well as a gorgeous light-filled reception room. In fact, the whole home is flooded with light due to the sheer abundance of windows.
Designed to impress, the entrance hall doubles as a dining area and showcases some of the property's most eye-catching architectural features, including a striking glass staircase and a dramatic floor-to-ceiling glass block wall.
Images: Rightmove
Upstairs, the lavish bedroom suite comes complete with a walk-in dressing area and a sleek en-suite shower room.
The lower ground floor features a large bedroom, dedicated sitting area, en-suite bathroom and provides direct access to the property's double garage.
Certainly, it's not the sort of home to snuggle in front of the fire with a good book and get all cosy - but if you're a fan of all things modern and contemporary then it doesn't get much better than this.
Images: Rightmove
The best part? It can be yours for just £850,000...how can one resist? It's a small price to pay to feel like you're the star of Grand Designs every single day of your life.
To have a proper nosey at this one-of-a-kind property then take a look at the listing on Rightmove here.
Featured image - Rightmove (Fine & Country, Bawtry)
News
Here’s five of the best new openings coming to Leeds this year
Clementine Hall
We're almost half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open this August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
New York-style pizza pop-up, Edges Pizza, is set to open in Leeds.Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residences across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat. Edges will be opening their doors in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 June.
Okay, this one might not be happening this year...but we still had to mention it so please forgive us.
Trinity Leeds is embarking on a major transformation with a £15 million expansion, introducing a second food court called ‘Freight Island’ The upgrade will add around 72,000 sq ft of new space, including a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking City Square the perfect spot to enjoy great food with skyline views.
Georgina Pellant -
12th August 2021 
