A slice of cake from the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer has sold for £1,850 ($2,550) at auction in the UK on Wednesday – with a warning not to eat it.
The 40-year-old slab of marzipan and thick white icing decorated with the royal coat of arms fetched more than three times its asking price of £300 to £500 at Wednesday's sale.
"We were amazed at the numbers of people wanting to bid on this large and unique piece of royal cake icing," said auctioneer Chris Albury, a royal memorabilia specialist at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester, England.
"There were lots of enquiries from bidders, mostly in the UK, the US and several countries in the Middle East."
The successful bidder was named in British media as Gerry Layton from Leeds in the north of England.
"I have always been a monarchist and I had been to see the wedding dress at Kensington Palace," said Layton.
"I thought I would like to add it to my estate, which will be going to charity after my death. I will have to think of a way to stop myself from trying to eat it, though."
The cake was originally given to Moyra Smith, who worked for Queen Elizabeth II's mother at her Clarence House residence in central London.
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Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales, at their wedding in London at St Paul Cathedral, July 29, 1981 -
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at the Buckingham Palace after the announcement of their engagement on February 24, 1981 -
Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales, at their wedding in London at St Paul Cathedral, July 29, 1981 -
Prince Charles and Princess Diana stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, following their wedding at St. Pauls Cathedral, June 29, 1981 -
An official family photo taken on the wedding day of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales. Back Row, from left to right: Mark Phillips, Prince Andrew, Viscount Linley, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, the Princely Couple, Ruth, Lady Fermoy (the bride's grandmother), Lady Jane Fellowes (the bride's sister), Viscount Althorp (Diana's brother) and Robert Fellowes. Centre row, from left to right: Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, India Hicks, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Mrs Shand Kydd (Diana's mother) Count Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale (Diana's sister), Neil McCorquodale. Front row: ushers and bridesmaids -
The Prince and Princess of Wales in a merry mood aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia as they sail away on their honeymoon -
Princess Diana and Prince Charles hold hands on their honeymoon at Balmoral in Scotland, in August 1981 -
Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital with their son, Prince William, as they left for Kensington Palace, June 1982 -
The Prince and Princess of Wales with baby Prince William in Kensington Palace in 1983 -
Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales with their son Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, December 14, 1983 -
Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with their son Prince Harry, in Paddington, London, on September 16, 1984 -
Princess Diana and Prince Charles meet Pope John Paul II during a private audience a the Vatican on April 25, 1985 -
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales with Prince William and Prince Harry on the Royal Yacht Britannia on May 6, 1985 in Venice, Italy -
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales in Al Ain during a visit to the UAE in March 1989 -
The Prince and Princess of Wales with sons Prince William, right, and Prince Harry prepare for a cycling trip in Tresco during their holiday in the Sicily Isles, June 1, 1989 -
The Queen Mother poses outside her London Clarence House residence for photographers with Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family on her 89th birthday, August 4, 1989. Left to right: Prince Andrew, Sarah Duchess of York, Lord Linley, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales -
Prince Charles looks towards Princess Diana as they await their carriage to depart the Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle, June 15, 1992 -
The Prince and Princess of Wales, and Prince Harry smile to photographers with Prince William on his first day of term at the Eton College on September 6, 1995 -
The Prince of Wales, Prince William, Princess Diana and Prince Harry attend the Heads of State ceremony in Hyde Park to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of VE Day in London on May 7, 1995
Following Smith's death, her family sold it at the same auction house in 2008 for £1,000 to a private collector, who has now sold it at a profit.
"It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when originally sold, but we advise against eating it," the auctioneers said.
The cake remains as Smith kept it, wrapped in cling film in a cake tin that she labelled "handle with care" and dated July 29, 1981, the day of the wedding.
The auctioneers said the slice came from a multi-tier cake served to staff at Clarence House, where Smith worked in the kitchen.
Apart from the main wedding cake, there were around 22 other cakes supplied by manufacturers for the royal occasion, the auctioneers said.
Wednesday's lot included order of service and ceremonial programmes for the wedding, a royal wedding breakfast menu and a table seating programme from Buckingham Palace.
Pieces of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake still regularly go on sale and interest remains strong despite the break-up of their marriage and divorce in 1996.
A piece of wedding cake in an original commemorative box sold for $2,240 in the US in December, according to Julien's Auctions.
The sale is the latest example of the continued fascination with Diana, who died aged 36 in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997.
In June, her old Ford Escort – an engagement present from Charles – was bought by a South American museum for more than £50,000.
