Slice of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding cake sells for £2k

A "very rare" slice of wedding cake from the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip has sold at auction for £2,200.

The fruit cake was found under a bed in a suitcase, 77 years after the original 9ft (2.7m) cake was dished out to 2,000 guests.

It was gifted by the then-Princess Elizabeth to Marion Polson, the housekeeper at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from 1931 to 1969.

"It's a real little find, a little time capsule of glorious cake," said James Grinter, of Colchester-based auction house Reeman Dansie.

The cake, initially expected to fetch £500, was sold to a bidder from China who purchased it over the phone.

Ms Polson was given a slice as a token of thanks for purchasing the newlyweds a "delightful" dessert service.

She kept hold of it until her death in the 1980s, when it was stashed away under a bed with some of her belongings.

The cake was still in its original presentation box and came with a letter from the Queen, dated November 1947.

It read: "My husband and I are deeply touched to know that you shared in giving us such a delightful wedding present.

"We are both enchanted with the desert service; the different flowers and the beautiful colouring will, I know, be greatly admired by all who see it."

Ms Polson's Scottish family contacted the auctioneers earlier this year as they sought to sell it under the hammer.