Cake from the Queen and Prince Philip's 1947 nuptials goes under the hammer

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh wed on November 20, 1947
The slice of fruit cake will be auctioned at Gorringes in East Sussex
Due to its careful preservation and high alcohol content, it is still edible

By Annabel Fenwick Elliott for MailOnline

Published: 08:52 EST, 31 August 2015 | Updated: 11:44 EST, 31 August 2015

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A 68-year-old slice of wedding cake from the marriage ceremony of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh has emerged for sale, expected to fetch up to £500 at auction.

The sliver of alcohol-laced fruit cake was one of 2,000 dished out to guests at the lavish wedding reception at Buckingham Palace on November 20, 1947.

Amazingly, the slice - still wrapped in its original baking parchment - has survived the last 68 years intact, and thanks to the high level of alcohol it contains it is still edible.

A 68-year-old slice of wedding cake (pictured) from the marriage ceremony of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh has emerged for sale, expected to fetch up to £500 at auction

The Royal couple’s wedding cake stood a whopping 9ft tall and consisted of four tiers.

It has been preserved inside a white cardboard presentation box with the inscription: ‘E.P. Buckingham Palace 20th November 1947’, in silver writing.

Inside the box is a card that reads: ‘With the Best Wishes of Their Royal Highnesses The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh’.

Experts say the cake could fetch as much as £500 when it goes under the hammer at Gorringes auctioneers in Lewes, East Sussex.

The auction will take place a week before the Queen celebrates becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history having sat on the throne for 23,227 days.

The 3.75 inch by two inch slice is being sold by a private collector whose father-in-law was manager of famous Mayfair restaurant Scott’s.

The slither of alcohol-laced fruit cake was one of 2,000 dished out to guests at the lavish reception at Buckingham Palace on November 20, 1947, after the Westminster Abbey ceremony (pictured)

Amazingly, the slice - still wrapped in its original baking parchment - has survived the last 68 years in tact, and thanks to the high level of alcohol it contains it is still edible

Experts say the cake could fetch as much as £500 when it goes under the hammer at Gorringes auctioneers in Lewes, East Sussex

Philip Taylor, from the auction house, said: 'Gorringes is serving up some bizarre Royal nostalgia by offering a slice of wedding cake made to celebrate the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten.

'The fruit cake slice was one of 2,000 given to guests at the Buckingham Palace reception after the ceremony in Westminster Abbey on November 20 1947.

'It is still wrapped in the original baking parchment and still retains a miniature doily and an inscribed card.

'The cake is in a remarkable state considering it its 68 years old. It has been very well preserved due to all the rum and brandy in it.

Inside the presentation box is a card (pictured) that reads, ‘With the Best Wishes of Their Royal Highnesses The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh’

The Royal couple’s wedding cake stood a whopping 9ft tall and consisted of four tiers

The auction will take place a week before the Queen, pictured with Prince Phillip, celebrates becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history having sat on the throne for 23,227 days

Mr Taylor added: 'You could eat it but I wouldn’t recommend it.

'The present owner believes she acquired it from her late father-in-law, who was one-time manager at the prestigious Scott’s Restaurant in Mayfair.

'Collectors have paid an awful lot of money for Royal artefacts in the past and a slice of cake from Queen Elizabeth’s wedding is right up there.

'The sale of this slice coincides rather nicely with the momentous date in the Queen’s life when she becomes Britain’s longest serving monarch.'