Slice of Charles's Toast to be Auctioned

by Tom Sykes Jul 13, 2012 11:15 AM EDT

Toast well-preserved because not buttered

A piece of toast, said to have come from Prince Charles's breakfast on the day he married Princess Diana, is to be auctioned. The toast is well preserved, having not been buttered.

The mother of a Buckingham Palace maid, who was visiting her daughter at the time of the 1981 wedding, claims to have taken the leftover slice.

Rosemarie Smith, 83, from Derby, said she had stored the slice in a Royal Crown Derby cup at her home ever since.

Mrs Smith told the BBC: "At the time my daughter was a maid at the palace and one of her duties was to collect Prince Charles's breakfast tray from outside his room.

"I was with her in the corridor and saw Prince Charles had left some toast on the tray. I had been thinking about a keepsake from the wedding and saw the toast and thought to myself: 'Why not'?

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Tom Sykes is a writer and journalist, and he edits The Royalist blog for the Daily Beast. Tom has worked for many publications, including a stint as a nightlife reporter and gossip columnist for the New York Post. He has written several books, most recently helping John Taylor of Duran Duran write and edit his autobiography, published by Dutton. Tom lives in London and Ireland.

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About the Author

Tom Sykes

THE ROYALIST, updated several times daily, reports on all aspects of the British Royal Family. With breaking news and the latest gossip, great pictures and informed commentary, the Royalist is essential eyeballing for fans of the world’s most famous family.