Princess Diana's old London apartment is now an official tourist site

Updated: 2:10 PM EDT Sep 30, 2021

The London apartment where Diana Spencer lived before she became the Princess of Wales has been commemorated with an official blue plaque.The plaque was posted on the Coleherne Court building on Old Brompton Street in Kensington on Sept. 29 following a successful campaign led by the London Assembly."Diana had, and still has, a very special place in the hearts of Londoners and we are thrilled to see her blue plaque formally placed as a monument to her work for others," said Andrew Boff, chair of the London Assembly, during the unveiling ceremony.The plaque reads: "Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess of Wales, lived here 1979-1981."The two years Diana spent in Flat 60, Coleherne Court, were formative ones. She purchased the apartment with money inherited from her great-grandmother. The price was £50,000 ($67,000).Diana moved to London at age 18 and worked as a nanny and at a kindergarten. She began dating Prince Charles, heir to the British throne in 1980, and they were engaged a year later.As her public profile grew, Coleherne Court was regularly besieged by photographers who hoped to capture pictures of the future princess. After Diana got engaged to Prince Charles, her mother had the apartment sold. It is still a private residence today."Lady Diana Spencer, later the Princess of Wales, is one of the most iconic figures in recent British history," said a statement issued by English Heritage, a charity that manages over 400 of England's historic buildings, monuments and sites."Her troubled marriage to Prince Charles and later relationships were the subject of fevered and intrusive press coverage, but she won a lasting reputation outside her personal life for her extensive charity and humanitarian work."The blue plaque is the second significant memorial to Diana unveiled in 2021, the year in which she would have turned 60. In July, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry jointly revealed a statue of their mother at the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.These plaques are placed on buildings in England that are connected to important historical figures and are maintained by English Heritage. "Blue plaque spotting" is a popular hobby for sightseers and history buffs.The plaques acknowledge a range of politicians, artists, writers and other important historical figures, including Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill and Freddie Mercury.Notable figures do not need to be British in order to be honored with a plaque. Foreigners who spent time living in the U.K., like Mahatma Gandhi and Emile Zola, have also been acknowledged.There are some 950 blue plaques in London alone.

A slice of Princess Diana's wedding cake could be yours. It's up for auction

Updated: 2:00 PM EDT Jul 29, 2021

Don't let them eat this cake.A slice of one of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cakes is up for auction 40 years after the nuptials were watched around the world.The iced slice came from one of the 23 official wedding cakes marking the July 29, 1981 marriage of the heir to the British throne and his shy 20-year-old bride. It features a marzipan base and a sugar onlay coat-of-arms, colored in gold, red, blue, and silver, on top.The piece of cake was given to Moyra Smith, a member of the Queen Mother’s household at Clarence House. Smith kept it in a floral cake tin and with a handmade label on the lid reading: "Handle with Care - Prince Charles & Princess Diane’s (sic) Wedding Cake" which she signed and dated 29/7/81.Smith's family sold the cake to a collector in 2008, but it is up for auction again Aug. 11. It is expected to fetch between 300 pounds ($418) and 500 pounds ($697), together with an order of service, ceremonial details and a royal wedding breakfast program."It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when originally sold," Chris Albury, auctioneer and senior valuer at Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said. "But we advise against eating it."