Queen Mother's Wedding Cake

[diddums]

Hello All... My first posting on this forum! I found myself here in an attempt to find out about my piece of the Queen Mother's (Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) Wedding Cake.

It is a mere sliver of cake wrapped in paper, with a small seal impressed with a rose. It is contained in a small box with a jewellers label on the back.

I was interested to know if anyone has something similar, or can tell me what the protocol was for distributing royal wedding cake in this era.

diddums

 

[iowabelle]

How did you happen to acquire this slice? It must be a good story.

I know I've seen sales of pieces from Diana's and Sarah's cakes.

 

[diddums]

I wish it was an interesting story. Unfortunately, it was just a case of elbowing aside (in a figural sense) other potential purchasers.
I actually don't know if it is authentic, simply because of the lack of info! Thought this forum might be the key...... Is it possible in 1923, the general public had the honour of obtaining a morsel, distributed through, say a jewellers? Or am I wishful thinking?
Anyway, my piece is ancient, maybe it's a piece of 85 year old cake belonging to a want-to-be-a princess-bride. Aren't all girls princesses anyway?

 

[iowabelle]

I know that pieces of the Windsors' wedding cake have been auctioned. (In fact, the purchase of a slice was the theme of one Seinfeld episode!) I think I've seen some of Diana's and Sarah's for sale too, probably from Alicia Carroll.

It is my understanding that the pieces are boxed and given to guests at the wedding (obviously, guests that have been invited to the wedding breakfast and not "everybody" at the wedding) as keepsakes. Unmarried women are supposed to sleep with them under their pillows and dream of their future husbands.

I also understand that the royal wedding cakes are closer to what Americans call a "fruit cake" and can be preserved indefinitely (don't know that I'd want to eat an 85-year-old one!), while our wedding cakes would mold almost immediately.

Maybe someone else knows more?

 

[diddums]

I feel a bit more confident with the authenticity, since I researched the jewellers. Seems they have been part of the royal family's goings on for a long time! Maybe the idea the public had access to one one of cakes isn't that far off. There were an astounding number of cakes (each one of those multi-tiered too of course) at that reception......

 

[Elspeth]

I also understand that the royal wedding cakes are closer to what Americans call a "fruit cake" and can be preserved indefinitely (don't know that I'd want to eat an 85-year-old one!), while our wedding cakes would mold almost immediately.

Maybe someone else knows more?

English fruit cakes aren't all that much like American fruit cakes; they're a lot less sweet and tend to contain dried fruit rather than candied fruit. They do keep a long time, but I don't know that it'd be safe to eat after that long. I should think it'd have been fossilised by now!

I think slices of the royal wedding cakes would be given as keepsakes to family members, friends, and maybe trusted members of staff, so it's possible that there were a fair number of these pieces of cake in circulation, and not just among close family. I'm not sure why they'd have bought their cake boxes from the jeweller rather than the caterer, but it might not have been the original box.

 

[sgl]

Could you take a picture of your slice of cake? I would love to see what it looks like.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Elizabeth's wedding cake was ten feet tall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaCX1ikXNyQ

 

[Tarlita]

Those wedding cakes of that era really put icing professionals to shame in todays era.
Queen Alexandra's cake was also very elaborate.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

A pair of white porcelain Wedding Cake ornaments for the Duke and Duchess of York
http://www.rct.uk/collection/themes...air-of-white-porcelain-wedding-cake-ornaments