With all the hubbub about Princess Diana’s wedding dress being back on display, it was easy to miss the news that her car—a silver Ford Escort Ghia saloon, given to her as an engagement gift from Prince Charles back in 1981, two months before the royal couple tied the knot—is up for sale.
Princess Diana’s 1981 Car Is for Sale—But You’ll Never Guess the Symbolic Gift from Her Sister That’s Still on the Hood
Published Jun 13, 2021
•2:00pm
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The 40-year-old vehicle is slated to go under the hammer on June 29 via U.K.-based auctioneer, Reeman Dansie, and is expected to fetch in the neighborhood of $55,000. (Diana’s silver Audi convertible sold for around $82,000 last year, per the site.) As for the car, it’s in pristine condition aside from the 83,000 miles Princess Diana once racked up.
Apparently, Princess Diana parted ways with it in August 1982, selling it to a private owner. It’s been meticulously stored ever since, tucked away in a garage, a relic from the past complete with Diana’s original license plate, too.
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But that’s not the only detail causing delight: There on the hood of the car is a copy of a wedding gift given to Diana by her sister, Lady Sarah Spencer. It’s a silver frog mascot, to “remind [Diana] of the fairy tale of a beautiful girl whose kiss turns a frog into a prince.” (Whoa, symbolism.) In photos snapped in 1981, you can even see a young Diana driving around with the frog attached to the hood.
Aside from the frog, the 1980s radio and silver exterior color of the car is said to be incredibly unique. But the fact that a young Diana Spencer once drove it? That makes this royal memento one of a kind.
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