Charles and Diana 'wedding bun' sells at auction in Oxfordshire

The bun was preserved with varnish after surviving a bun throwing event 40 years ago

A 40-year-old bun, thrown during national celebrations to mark the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, has sold at auction.

The cake, which is preserved with a coat of varnish, bears the label "Abingdon Bun Throwing 29th July 1981 Wedding of Prince of Wales".

Hanson Auctioneers said the bun, which sold to a mystery bidder for £15, came from a house clearance.

Valuer Jasper Marsh said it would now be "preserved for the nation".

The bun was thrown during national celebrations to mark the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, who became Diana, Princess of Wales

He said it was not known who had originally owned it but but it was likely to have been someone connected to the 400-year-old tradition in Abingdon-on-Thames.

The event is a cross between a ceremony and a bun fight, so the bun did well to survive.

The bun-throwings take place when there is a special event to celebrate, like the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016

Organised by the town council, the bun-throwings are usually associated with royal events, held as a gesture of loyalty and goodwill to the monarch.

Some 4,500 currant buns were thrown from the roof of the county hall in June 2016 to mark the Queen's 90th birthday.

The last one took place in 2018, as a commemoration of the end of the First World War.

"It's not destined for the breakfast table," Mr Marsh said of the Charles and Diana wedding bun.

"It's gone to a good home and will be preserved for the nation."

Bun throwing is one of several ancient traditions of Abingdon-on-Thames.