The royal tradition of elaborately tiered iced fruit cakes
Left – Princess Elizabeth and Lt Philip Mountbatten, 1947:
a four-tier, 9ft cake painted with armorial bearings of both families, sugariced figures to depict their favourite activities, and regimental and naval badges.
Above – Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, 1840:
a two-tier, white iced fruit cake decorated with the figure of Britannia blessing figures of the bride and groom.
Above right – Prince William and Kate Middleton, 2011: an eight-tier fruit cake decorated with 900 sugar-paste flowers, baked by Fiona Cairns.
Right – Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981:
a 5ft high fruit cake weighing 255lbs made by the Royal Navy’s Cookery school at Chatham.