When Prince Charles proposed to Princess Diana, she selected an eye-catching sapphire engagement ring to show off to the world. But as well as her iconic jewel, the Princess of Wales was given a car as an engagement gift from Charles – and now it has been sold in original condition to a museum!
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The silver Ford Escort was gifted to Diana by her then-fiancé Prince Charles in May 1981, two months before they tied the knot at St Paul's Cathedral with 750 million viewers around the world.
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The car has been sold at auction on Tuesday to a museum in Chile, fetching a whopping £52,640, way over the original estimate of £30,000-£40,000.
The 1.6L Ghia saloon was loved by Diana at the time and she enjoyed driving it to watch Charles play polo, but she decided to stop using the vehicle after giving birth to her first son Prince William in 1982.
Diana, The Princess of Wales was gifted a car for her engagement
The car still has its original registration plate WEV 297W, and has 83,000 miles on the clock – and will now be shipped to South America.
Lewis Rabett, of Reeman Dansie Auctions in Colchester, Essex, said: "The interest has been considerable pre-auction. [The car] ending up in South America is testament to the level of interest globally that there's been. It's also testament to Diana and her enduring legacy."
Diana used to drive to watch Prince Charles play polo
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The most notable gift from Diana's engagement has to be her engagement ring itself though, as the world-famous jewel is pretty unique.
Diana originally selected her diamond and piercing sapphire engagement herself, because apparently, it reminded her of her mother's engagement ring and also matched her eyes.
Diana's royal engagement ring is iconic
Prince William's wife Kate Middleton now wears the precious ring on her engagement finger. According to The Court Jeweller, it would have cost approximately £28,500 at the time, which would make it worth £123,000 in line with the Bank of England's inflation calculator today.
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