6 Strangest Royal Family Items to Ever Be Sold

In the running for the most bizarre royal items to be auctioned off are a pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers, a 40-year-old slice of wedding cake, and a tea bag used by Queen Elizabeth II. The curiosity and fascination surrounding the British royal family is nothing new, but some fans are evidently willing to go the extra mile to proclaim their obsession.

Princess Diana. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

It's no secret that the royal family generates endless media attention with every new scandal, wedding, or new addition to the family, especially with the 2024 wave of infidelity rumors, potential disappearances, and health scares. While some fans of the royal family satiate their obsession through an occasional perusal of all the latest gossip headlines, others look to auction houses and internet resellers to acquire items formerly owned by royalty, often at a great personal expense, with items often costing hundreds, if not thousands of sterling pounds.

Items up for auction can range from the mundane—tea cups, commemorative stamps, and assorted furniture—to extremely bizarre—think 40-year-old wedding cake, a roll of toilet paper, and random items of clothing worn by royals. Morbidly curious to know more about the eccentric collecting culture surrounding the British royal family? Join L'OFFICIEL in uncovering some of the strangest things auctioned off to fans of the royals.

Queen Victoria's Bloomers

Queen Victoria's bloomers. Photo courtesy of Clevedon Salerooms.

Queen Victoria, one of England's longest reigning queens, who ruled from 1837 to 1901, had a famously large wardrobe, and over the years, pieces ranging from nightgowns to stockings to bloomers ended up in the hands of housemaids and historians alike. A pair of the queen's bloomers sold for £1000 at auction in 2019, but past pairs of the queen's undergarments have sold for as much as £4500.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles's Wedding Cake

prince diana prince charles wedding cake

One of Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding cakes. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

In early 2021, a slice of Princess Diana and Prince Charles's wedding cake was auctioned off for £1,850, almost four times its starting value. The slice was originally preserved by Nigel Ricketts, a carpenter and cabinet maker close to the royal family, who wrapped the slice in tight plastic wrap and placed it inside a sealed keepsake box. Ricketts attended the wedding and gifted the couple a table, prompting Prince Charles to deliver a hand-written thank you note to Rickets. The note was included in the same auction collection as the preserved slice of cake and sold for £180.

Upon the purchase of the slice of cake, the lucky buyer was reportedly advised that the wedding cake was not edible, and here's hoping that they heeded that piece of advice.

Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's Wedding Cake

prince william kate middleton wedding cake

Baker Fiona Cairns with Prince William and Duchess Kate's wedding cake in 2011. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Evidently, interest in royal confections doesn't end with Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding cake has been auctioned off in the past, and in 2014, a slice of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding cake was sold for almost £6,000 to Gee Chuang, a Silicon Valley startup CEO, as reported by Today.

A Hat Worn By Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cambridge

Hat signed by Princess Diana and Kate Middleton. Photo courtesy of the Rosen Group.

While the Duchess of Cambridge has been known to sport similar outfits to royal fashion icon Princess Diana, Kate Middleton has never been known to wear the exact same piece, with the exception of several tiaras, although the details surrounding this rare hat are slightly murky, given that there are no photos of either woman actually wearing the hat in question. The red velvet hat, signed by both women and framed with portraits of them, was auctioned in 2017 by Guernsey's. The auction house did not report the final selling price, the buyer, or the origins of the item, which has left royal fans puzzled since the auction.

Queen Elizabeth II's Used Tea Bag

eBay Listing Photo of Tea Bag. Photo via eBay/@moo_4024

Following Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, the New York Post reported that one eBay user tried to capitalize off the monarch's passing and listed a tea bag allegedly used by the queen in the '90s. The seller claimed that a pest exterminator smuggled the tea bag out of the house and listed the tea bag at $12,000, enticing potential buyers to purchase the "piece of history." While this is certainly among the oddest royal items up for auction, the wild story surrounding its origins and the Lipton branding have royal experts and casual fans alike suspicious of its authenticity.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Car

Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2013 Land Rover. Photo courtesy of Bonhams.

The couple's 2013 Land Rover, which amassed over 38,420 miles throughout its use, was utilized by the royal family on their tours of Scotland and Australia in 2014. Gifted to Prince William and Kate Middleton by the Land Rover VIP Department, the vehicle ended up selling for £50,625, which was reportedly double the market value of the model.