Princess Diana: Ford Escort gift reaches more than £52k at Essex auction

Princess Diana driving the car in December 1981

A car given to Princess Diana as an engagement present has been sold at auction for more than £52,000.

The owner of the 1981 Ford Escort Ghia kept its origin a secret for 20 years.

The car, listed at Reeman Dansie's Royalty, Antiques and Fine Art Sale in Essex, was sold to a phone bidder at a hammer price of £47,000, exceeding its pre-auction estimate of £30k-£40k.

It has its original registration, 83,000 miles (133,575km) on the clock, original paintwork and upholstery.

It had belonged to a Royal family fan since about 2000, who drove it only sparingly without disclosing its history to her friends.

The car was auctioned by Reeman Dansie, specialist royalty auctioneers in Colchester

The princess watched her fiancé Prince Charles playing polo from the car in May 1981

The car also has a copy of a silver frog mascot given as a gift to the princess by her sister, Lady Sarah Spencer.

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The vehicle was gifted by the prince in May 1981 and used by Princess Diana until August 1982.

She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

The 1981 model has been variously described as hatchback, a notchback or a sedan, although the auction house lists it as a saloon

The car's bonnet features a replica of a frog mascot, given to Princess Diana by her sister Lady Sarah Spencer

The car's seller has been described as a "great admirer" of the princess. The auctioneers said she kept the car's Royal connection secret from her friends and it had effectively disappeared from public view for more than 20 years.

A spokeswoman for the auction house said it confirmed the Royal provenance from the vehicle's history file, registration number and the many photographs of Princess Diana in the car.

With fees, the total price paid for the vehicle was £52,640.