Is there anything that brings not just our country but the whole world together like a royal wedding?
1.9 billion people were said to watch Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle in 2018 – beating the estimated 750 million who watched Prince Charles wed Diana in 1981.
But it was the wedding of 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) to her 26-year-old beau, Philip Mountbatten, that was one of the most significant and symbolic royal events of the 20th century.
Taking place at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, the ceremony was broadcast live (on BBC radio of course) to 200 million people worldwide.
But for the war-weary average Joe, the significance went far beyond a romantic union – it represented optimism after the hardships of WWII.
Winston Churchill called the wedding “a flash of colour on the hard road we have to travel.”
The wedding breakfast, held at Buckingham Palace, was attended by 150 guests – a glittering assembly of world royalty.
The menu included filet de sole Mountbatten, partridge, and as a dessert, bombe glacée Princess Elizabeth.
Then came the cake.
Made by McVitie & Price, its four tiers towered more than 9 feet, and it was decorated with royal crests, including the duke’s regimental and naval badges.
The giant gateau was nicknamed the 10,000 mile cake because ingredients came from across the Commonwealth. Weighing 500lb, it was made with 80 oranges, 660 eggs, and more than three gallons of navy rum.
The couple cut the cake using the Duke of Edinburgh’s Mountbatten sword, which had been a wedding gift from his father-in-law, George VI.
Some 2,000 slices from the main cake were cut for illustrious guests but in addition up to a dozen additional cakes were made for staff at the various royal residences, as well as charitable organisations, hospitals and schools.
When one such slice came to light at a recent routine valuation, a royalist like me was cock-a-hoop.
The modest looking box states Presented to Mr C. Dickman by Princess Elizabeth Nov 20th 1947.
But who was the mysterious Mr Dickman?
Much-loved royal butler
Some digging gave all the answers. Lambeth-born Cyril Dickman, who died in 2012 aged 85, worked for the royal household as a much-loved servant for 50 years.
By all accounts he was a great favourite of the late queen, as well as Princess Diana.
He joined the palace in 1941 aged just 15.
Imagine the emotions of a working-class London lad entering a royal estate?
The scale, grandeur and strict protocols would have been overwhelming as the teenager struggled to learn the etiquette, duties and how to behave in front of royalty.
Added to which this was the time of the Blitz when the royal family remained in the capital.
Reports suggest Cyril started life at the palace watching out for fires on the roof of Buckingham Palace.
At the time of the royal wedding he would have been a 21-year-old ‘below stairs’ servant. But he worked his way up to become the late queen’s Palace Steward, one of her most trusted helpers.
Both Cyril and the late Queen were the same age.
Despite their different status, imagine the ties that would bind monarch and servant over half a century.
And when Merchant Ivory needed advice on how Anthony Hopkins should play the stiffly buttoned-up butler Mr Stevens in the 1993 film Remains of the Day, they called on the recently retired, Cyril.
Mr Hopkins later told The New York Times he couldn’t have done the part without him, saying: “Cyril taught me simple rules: Be polite, be efficient, be relaxed.”
He also gave the actor tips on how to iron the morning paper page by page and when to address his master as “m’lord” (on entering the room) and “sir” (thereafter).
Pieces of cake from the 1947 royal wedding remain highly sought after by royal memorabilia collectors – even without this tantalising link.
On its own, it’s just a box of crumbs, but with its incredible story, it is nothing less than a slice of British history.
Auction Details
Auction: Derby October Four-Day Antiques & Collectors Auction
Auction date: 16th – 21st October 2025 | 9:30am
Location: Hansons Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
