A Ford Escort that was once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales has sold at auction for £52,640.
Lady Diana Spencer was given the silver 1.6L Ghia saloon by the Prince of Wales as an engagement present in May 1981, two months before they were married in July 1981.
She often drove it to watch Charles play polo, and the bonnet features a silver frog – a copy of the original mascot which was given to the princess by her sister Sarah and which Diana kept when she sold the car.
The princess stopped using the vehicle soon after giving birth to Prince William in 1982, and it was later bought for £6,000 by an antiques dealer.
It had belonged to a royal fan since around 2000, who drove it only sparingly without disclosing its history to her friends.
The vehicle was sold on Tuesday in an online auction by Reeman Dansie, of Colchester, Essex, to a telephone bidder for £52,640.
The hammer price was £47,000, exceeding the pre-auction estimate of £30,000 to £40,000.
The car still carries its original registration, WEV 297W, as well as its original paint and upholstery, and has 83,000 miles on the clock.
