Contract for Princess Diana's first job at elite nanny agency sells for more than £8k
A document believed to be Diana, Princess of Wales' first work contract - in which she potentially lied about her age - has sold for £8,470 at auction.
Lady Diana Spencer completed the written agreement for the elite nanny agency 'Solve Your Problem Ltd' on 22 May 1979.
Largely completed in her hand, it is thought the 17-year-old incorrectly listed her date of birth as 1 July 1960 instead of 1 July 1961 to "get a job quicker" or "receive more pay".
The contract received worldwide interest, and was sold to an anonymous collector in America following the auction at Auctioneum Ltd, in Bristol, on 30 April.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said it was an "incredible" result.
"There was interest from all around the world, with bidders from America, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia - all trying to get their hands on Diana's first work contract," he said.
"Princess Diana, her life, and her story, hold a very special place in so many people's hearts, and the result of this auction shows that she is still well remembered all around the world," Mr Stowe added.
Shortly after her 20th birthday, Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in July 1980, becoming one of the most influential women in the world.
She was killed in a serious car crash in Paris in August 1997, aged 36, one year after her divorce from Prince Charles.
Her funeral service was watched by an average of 32.1 million people, including 11.7 million on ITV and 19.3 million on BBC One.
Mr Stowe said the document, which is thought to be Princess Diana's first official work contract, "represents one of the last remaining snapshots of Diana's 'normal life'".
Aged 17, she signed the contract shortly after moving to London, having previously done some informal childcare work for family friends — two of whom are listed as referees.
The form was annotated by her employer in blue ink with the comment "nearly 18," presumably after they discovered the incorrect date of birth.
On the application, her skills have been listed as "cook - basic," "housework," "animals," "clean," and "ballet dancer".
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Other comments include "lovely girl - send anywhere" and "check skirt."
Mr Stowe added: "At face value, this is just an everyday work contract - a piece of office stationery that lived in a filing cabinet alongside hundreds of others.
"Yet, just over two years later, Diana Spencer would become Princess Of Wales, and her life, and the whole of our history, would never be the same."