A 77-year-old piece of wedding cake, found forgotten in a suitcase, has brought in about $3,000 at auction.
The slice of fruit cake wasn’t any wedding cake. It was from the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the BBC reported.
It was part of the 9-foot cake that was served to 2,000 guests. Elizabeth and Philip were married on Nov. 20, 1947, while she was still a princess, People magazine reported. She ascended the throne on Feb. 6, 1952.
The cake was a gift from the then-princess to Marion Polson, a housekeeper at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. It was found in a suitcase, still in its original presentation box and a letter from the Queen from November 1947.
Polson received it as a thank you for buying the royals a “delightful” dessert service.
The letter read in part, “My husband and I are deeply touched to know that you shared in giving us such a delightful wedding present.
“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.”
Polson kept it until she died in the 1980s then it was put under a bed with other items belonging to Polson.
It was expected to bring in about $640 at auction but went for much more, finally selling for around $2,830, purchased by a bidder from China who made the purchase by phone.
This is the first slice of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding cake that has been sold “in its completeness” the auction house said, according to the BBC.