Princess Diana's Ford Escort listed at Colchester auction

Auctioneers Reeman Dansie have announced they will be selling the car which was given to the princess by Prince Charles as an engagement gift in May 1981.

Princess Diana drove the 1981 Ford Escort Ghia saloon car before it went to its new owners the following year.

Still in excellent condition, the car has not been seen for two decades.

The car had fallen into the hands of a Princess Diana enthusiast.

She is said to have kept the car and its history a secret.

The Colchester auctioneers were surprised when they found out the car had actually belonged to Diana, with its registration of WEV 297W and appearance in pictures, along with other fine details, proving its provenance.

It comes after another car once belonging to Diana went on sale last year.

Her equally tasteful Audi convertible sold at auction for more than £58,000.

The auctioneers say the Ford is in surprisingly good condition, despite having 83,000 miles on the clock.

It also has completely original paint and upholstery and also comes with a silver frog mascot on the bonnet, a copy of a gift from Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah Spencer, to remind her of the fairy tale of a beautiful girl whose kiss turns a frog into a prince.

The auctioneers say the car is estimated to fetch between £30,000 and £40,000 when it goes to auction on June 29.

Reeman Dansie auctioneer James Grinter said the car had been in long-term storage, but was still given an MoT and a service each year.

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He says the current owner bought the car from a Norfolk antiques dealer about 20 years ago who reportedly had been offered a fortune for the car by various American celebrities and museums.

The dealer had bought it from Sotheby’s a few years before.

Mr Grinter says Princess Diana kept the car for a year and replaced it with a faster Ford.

It was then subsequently bought by a national newspaper and given away in a competition before ending up in Sotheby’s.

He added the current owner has always cherished the car and stopped using it as she didn’t want it to deteriorate.

The owner has now has decided that it is now the right time to let someone else look after it.

Mr Grinter said: “We are expecting a lot of interest in this car as personal cars of the late Princess very rarely come up for sale.

“The simplicity of it reflects the innocence of the princess at this point in her life.”

This isn’t the first time Reeman Dansie has auctioned former property of the late princess.

The auctioneers are well known for their interest in royal items and are considered specialists is selling items which once belonged to royalty.

In November 2017, the auctioneers put a catalogue of royal items up for sale which belonged to Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

These included a woollen shawl worn by Diana, presented to her by Iman Abdul Qadir on a state visit to Pakistan in 1991.

Another catalogue of items belonging to Diana was also sold in June 2017 with numerous clothing items and trinkets going under the hammer.

And in 2008, four revealing letters from Princess Diana – one of them recounting her spells of morning sickness – were put up for sale.

Now it’s the car’s turn to be auctioned off.

The auctioneers will begin taking bids on June 29 during Reeman Dansie’s Royal Auction.

Starting at 10am, lots one to 800 will last throughout the day with the remaining lots being covered on June 30.