Lincolnshire-baked slice of royal history fails to sell at auction

A slice of cake made for the wedding of the King and Queen Consort by a Lincolnshire baker 17 years ago has failed to sell at auction.

The 12-year-old portion made for the then Prince Charles and Camilla had been expected to fetch £400-£600.

Auctioneer David Broom said it could have been less desirable to buyers as a large quantity of the cake was made.

Another cake slice, for Prince William and Kate's wedding in 2011, fetched £390 at Keys Auctions in Norfolk.

The cake made for the wedding in Windsor on 9 April 2005 of Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was made by Dawn Blunden and Mary Robinson, from the Sophisticake cake shop in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire.

The portion, in a souvenir tin complete with royal cypher, failed to meet its reserve price on Wednesday, auctioneer Mr Broom told the BBC.

"On the day, the focus rather than being on the Charles and Camilla, was on William and Kate instead," he said.

The cake for Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding was made with 20 bottles of brandy and more than 1,000 eggs.

An engineer was called in to help build the tin it was made in, cake makers Sophisticake said.

"The copious amounts of alcohol that went into the wedding cake would act as a preservative, so it probably would be edible. But obviously they're not bought for that, it's probably bought for a collector or as an investment," Mr Broom added.

Elsewhere, the boxed slice from the marriage of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was sold to an online bidder for £492 including fees and left the seller "very happy", Keys Auctions said.

Made by Fiona Cairns from Fleckney in Leicestershire, the cake was well sought-after, Mr Broom said.

"These are items that have got a good providence and are linked to the Royal Family, whereas the China mugs etc produced in great quantity at a coronation, birth of a child, anniversary - they're of very little value," he said.

In the same sale, a signed photo of the late Queen and Duke from 1980 sold for £900, more than six times its estimate.

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