Slice of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding cake being auctioned off

By Ben Turner via SWNS

A perfectly preserved slice of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding cake from 1947 is going up for auction - with a warning it's no longer edible.

The fruit cake is a historic reminder of the monarch's marriage to Prince Philip after Queen Elizabeth II marked her Platinum Jubilee last weekend.

The slice is one of 2,000 pieces given to guests at Buckingham Palace after the wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

It is being auctioned with a guide price of £200-400 ($250- $501) next month in Cambridgeshire.

The wedding cake was nine-foot-tall in its entirety and included dried fruit from Australia and preserved with rum and brandy from South Africa.

It was the masterpiece of Fredrick Schur, chief confectioner at McVitie and Price Ltd.

This slice was given to the Queen's caterer Sir Norman Joseph, who organized catering for around 100 Royal Garden parties at Buckingham Palace for over 25 years.

Sir Norman was made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1969 in recognition of his services to the royal household.

The cake comes in an original presentation box, marked with the wedding date, and is wrapped in cellophane.

Auction house Cheffins, which is selling the cake slice on July 14, has warned the fruit cake is no longer edible.