A 77-year-old slice of wedding cake from the 1947 royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip has just been sold for £2,200 (around Rs 2.40 lakh) at an auction. Described as a “very rare slice,” the cake has remained preserved since the couple’s marriage on November 20, 1947. But it no longer appears suitable for consumption.
The slice, kept in its original packaging, features a small box with a silver emblem of the then-Princess Elizabeth. Inside, the box holds an intricate doily, which has helped preserve the cake for over 70 years. The original recipient of this specific slice was Marion Polson, a housekeeper at HolyroodHouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, who received it as a gift from Buckingham Palace.
According to auction house Reeman Dansie, Marion Polson was the housekeeper at the Palace of Holyroodhouse from 1931 to 1969.
Alongside the cake, Polson received a personal letter from Elizabeth, thanking her for the wedding gift. “We are both enchanted with the dessert service; the different flowers and the beautiful colouring will, I know, be greatly admired by all who see it. This is a present which we shall use constantly, and whenever we do we shall think of the kindness and good wishes for our happiness which it represents,” reads the typewritten note, signed by the future queen.
“The Wedding of H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Prince Philip of Greece R.N. on 20th November 1947, (later H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh), a rare piece of wedding cake in original box with presentation card and original packaging addressed to ‘Miss Polson, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland’ Postmarked 21 April 1948. Sold with a printed letter from H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth thanking the Royal Household Staff for their Wedding Present,” the auction house wrote on its website.
According to CNN, the original wedding cake was an elaborate creation, standing nine feet tall and weighing 500 pounds (around 227 kg). Decorated with coats of arms from both families, it also featured sugar sculptures representing the couple’s favourite activities. The massive cake provided 2,000 slices for wedding guests, with additional portions distributed to charities and organisations. One tier was saved for the christening of their first child, Prince Charles.
While a few pieces of the cake have been preserved and auctioned over the years, they remain highly sought after by royal memorabilia collectors. In 2013, another slice from the 1947 cake was auctioned by Christie’s, fetching £1,750 (around Rs 1.91 lakh).
