The most expensive piece of Royal cake ever to be sold at auction
As Kate Middleton and Prince William celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary, we look back at a tasty memento from their wedding that sold for a mouth-watering $7,500 at auction.
Incredibly, a slice of fruit cake from the eight-tier cake served at the televised Royal wedding ceremony in 2011 was expected to sell $2,000 at most, however was snapped up for over three times as much.
The cake reportedly took 5 weeks to bake and was said to hit its peak flavour after 13 months, CNN Money reported at the time. According to the news source it was a bespoke creation, crafted by cake-maker Fiona Cairns. It took her five weeks to complete the confectionery masterpiece.
The cake maker, whose confections are sold in Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose, was contacted by St James's Palace in February and asked if she would make William and Kate's wedding cake.
The stunning gateau was covered in cream and white icing and decorated with 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers. The culinary masterpiece took centre stage at the Buckingham Palace reception held in the picture gallery on the day of their wedding.
"The Duchess of Cambridge also wanted the cake to reflect the ‘language of flowers’, which consists of 17 different types of foliage that each hold a particular meaning,” Chiswick Auctions explained in their description of the sale. “The elaborate cake was covered in cream icing and adorned with 900 exquisite sugar-paste flowers, including roses and apple blossom.”
The winning bidder who forked out the hefty cost received the slice in a specially commissioned tin with a printed card reading, "With best wishes from TRH [Their Royal Highness] The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in celebration of the wedding of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."
Unfortunately, it's possible that cake, like cars, depreciate. In 2015, a 34-year old slice of cake from the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles was sold at auction for $1,375. Seven years earlier, a slice of that same cake sold for $6,000.