A piece of very old cake has been sold at auction for a whopping £1,000; though admittedly, the item in question was actually an 8 x 9-inch slice from Charles & Diana’s 1981 Royal Wedding cake.

The white icing with a marzipan base had a sugared onlay of the Royal Coat-of-Arms, coloured in gold, red, blue and silver, a small silver horseshoe and leaf spray. The 800g piece was given to a former employee of the Queen Mother, Moyra Smith, who kept it, along with a letter signed by Charles and Diana thanking her for her contribution to the clock they were given as a wedding present. The piece has been preserved in clingfilm since 1981, but we imagine it wouldn’t taste good at all. The auctioneer, Dominic Winter Auction House, described it as ’a highly unusual (and probably inedible) collector’s item’. As reported on the BBC’s website: "To my knowledge this is the highest price for any slice of the cake sold at auction," said auctioneer Nathan Winter.

"Whoever bought it is unlikely to eat it, as it will undoubtedly taste stale and be an expensive experiment," added Chris Albury from Dominic Winter.