‘Lovely girl – send anywhere’ – Princess Diana’s first-ever job contract up for auction
London (CNN) — A work contract signed by Diana Spencer two years before she married the then-Prince of Wales is expected to fetch thousands of dollars at auction.
The document was filled out in black ink by the young woman who would go on to become world famous as Princess Diana.
The written agreement with Solve Your Problem Ltd., an employment agency hiring nannies for the rich and famous, was completed by Diana in May 1979 – though it is not 100% truthful. Then just 17 years old, she lists her date of birth as July 1, 1960, exactly a year before she was actually born.
According to a press release sent to CNN by English auction house Auctioneum, Solve Your Problem Ltd. was a recruitment firm set up by Mary Cook, a one-time Portuguese countess who had settled in London after divorcing her husband.
The firm was “a high-class establishment, vetting staff for royal residences and for homes of the rich and famous based in London,” according to the auctioneer. Cook kept the contract as a souvenir and it was eventually passed to the company’s current owners, who are now offering it for sale.
Of Diana’s altered date of birth, auctioneer Andrew Stowe said in the press release: “Our client had always been told that this was done deliberately, in order that Diana would appear older and therefore more likely to secure a job with the agency, or at least a higher rate of pay! It could, of course, just be a simple oversight!”
The young woman listed her religion on the contract as “Protestant” and said that she couldn’t drive. She did not say what kind of work she was looking for or how much she expected to get paid, but that she was seeking employment “as soon as possible.”
Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, had moved to London not long before signing the contract, according to Auctioneum. It shows her address as Cadogan Place SW1 – a few months later she would move to her own flat at Coleherne Court in Kensington.
The document, which is expected to sell for up to $10,000, is thought to be the late princess’ first official work contract. She had done some informal childcare work for friends and family previously – two of whom are listed as referees on the document.
“This is an incredibly important piece of history,” said Stowe. “Getting your first job is a big moment in anyone’s life, let alone when that person becomes one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century. Here we have a teenage Diana Spencer, freshly moved to London, trying to find her way in life and applying for her first job. It’s so human, so real, so normal.”
The contract is annotated in blue by the employer, who describes some of the applicant’s skills as “cook – basic … housework … animals … ballet dancer.” Other comments include “check skirt” and “lovely girl – send anywhere.”
Stowe described the document as “poignant,” adding: “At face value, this is just an everyday document, 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 would never be the same. This contract is one of the last remaining snapshots of Diana’s life before she was thrust into the spotlight.
“It’s filled with hope, it’s filled with nerves, it represents the emotions and feelings of every teenager trying to find their first job – and yet, there is of course, a great feeling of sadness attached.”
The item is being sold as part of Auctioneum’s Autographs & Memorabilia Online Auction, which ends on Tuesday.
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