Princess Diana 'deliberately' put wrong birth year down to land first job as nanny to the super

Release time：2024-05-01 13:27:36 Source：Culture Compass news portal

Princess Diana 'deliberately' put the wrong birth year down to land her first job as a nanny to the super-rich, it has been revealed as the employment contract is set to fetch more than £5,000 at auction. 

The contract from Solve Your Problem Ltd, a childcare company for the elite, was sent off by the former Princess of Wales in May 1979, just weeks after she first moved to London.

Her address was noted as Cadogan Place SW1, where she lived temporarily before moving to her own flat at Colherne Court in Kensington a few months later.

The application had been filled out with Diana's own handwriting where she incorrectly listed her birth year as 1960 instead of 1961.

She would have only been 17 in May 1979 but by 'lying about her age to get the job' her new employers thought she was already 18.

Princess Diana 'deliberately' put the wrong birth year down to land her first job as a nanny to the super-rich, an employment contract has shown

The contract from Solve Your Problem Ltd, a childcare company for the elite, was sent of by the former Princess of Wales in May 1979. It is expected to sell for over £5,000 at auction 

Diana Spencer pictured in September 1980 working at the Young England Kindergarten in September 1980 shortly before her engagement to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales was announced

The piece of paper is expected to sell for over £5,000 when it goes under the hammer at Auctioneum Ltd in Bristol later this month. 

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said the error on the date of birth was on purpose by Lady Di.

'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,' he said. 

The document is thought to be Diana's first official work contract, which saw her undertake various short-term jobs as a nanny, mother's help and child carer.

Prior to this in 1978 Diana had worked for friends and family, in an unofficial capacity, some are noted as referees on the contract.

'This is an incredibly important piece of history,' adds Andrew. '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.'

Diana's first work contract is featured in Auctioneum's 'Autographs & Memorabilia Online Auction' which ends on April 30th and carries an estimate of £5,000 to £8,000

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe (pictured) said the error on the date of birth was on purpose by Lady Di

Diana Spencer With Two Children From St George's Square Kindergarten prior to her engagement with then Prince Charles 

Elsewhere on the contract the employers have listed some of Diana's skills including 'cook - basic,' 'housework,' 'animals,' and 'ballet dancer.'

Other comments mention a 'check skirt' and conclud 'lovely girl - send anywhere'.

Solve Your Problem Ltd was an employment agency set up by Mary Cook - a one-time Portuguese Countess - who moved back to London after divorcing her husband in the 1970s.

The agency was a high-class establishment, vetting staff for royal residences and for homes of the rich and famous based in London.

The contract was kept by Cook as a souvenir and was eventually passed to the current owners, who are now offering it for sale.

'This is such a poignant item,' Mr Stowe added. '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,' says Andrew.

Diana's first work contract is featured in Auctioneum's 'Autographs & Memorabilia Online Auction' which ends on April 30th and carries an estimate of £5,000 to £8,000.

Items once owned by Princess Diana that have come up for auction over the years 

Three decades after her death, Princess Diana remains one of the most idolised women in the world.

Over the years, keen royal collectors have battled it out so that they might own one of the Princess's items when they have come up for auction. Some of the items include: 

 The Revenge Dress - £39,000  

Best known as the Revenge Dress, Princess Diana donned the iconic black mini piece for a gala at the Serpentine Gallery on the same night in 1994 when Prince Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful to her.

Designed by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the fitted off-the-shoulder dress featured an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train that flowed in the wind.

In the summer of 1997, not long before her death, Diana put 79 of her dresses up for auction at Christie's in New York. 

The proceeds were shared between multiple organisations, including cancer and AIDS-related charities.

The Revenge Dress, which had originally cost the Princess £900, was sold at auction in July 1997 for a staggering £39,098 - more than £85,000 in today's prices. 

The revenge dress is made up of an asymmetrical hem, with a flattering sheer tail which dangles from the cinched waist

Letter in which Princess Diana discussed her marital woes - £8,750

A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes sold for £8,750 last year on February 14 at Chiswick Auctions.

The letter on a single sheet of Kensington Palace headed note paper was dated May 11, 1995, and addressed to a Mrs Cotton.

The letter, which came in an envelope, reads simply: 'If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle'.

A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes is set to go on sale. The letter reads simply: 'If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle'

Red Austin Mini Metro - £,6000 (in the 1990s)

Diana was well-known for her love of cars over her years, and in her time she owned a number of luxury vehicles and motorcars which are now considered classics.

But what may have been the Princess's first motor, which she drove as 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer until she sold it in June 1981, was the red Austin Mini Metro which was affectionately known as her 'courting car'.

The car was bought by the then-Prince Charles for £3,495 in 1980. The King took the Metro on a 20-mile test drive out of the British Leyland factory in Longbridge, England.

It has had three owners since it left the Royal fleet, and has clocked up a very modest 30,000 miles. 

It sold at auction in the 1990s for £6,000, but it is now under the ownership of the Coventry Transport Museum where it sits on display.

What was perhaps the Princess's first motor, which she drove as the plain Lady Diana Spencer before she married Charles, was an Austin Mini Metro. Diana sold the car in June 1981. Above: Diana in the car outside her London flat in February 1981

The Virgin Atlantic Sweatshirt - £42,760

Diana's 'Fly Virgin Atlantic' jumper was a gift from the head of the airline, Sir Richard Branson - and she was often seen wearing it with a pair of bike shorts and trainers when she left the gym at the Chelsea Harbour Club in London.

Often it was accompanied by a pair of bike shorts - usually in bright orange - along with white sports socks and trainers.

The well-used sweater was then given by Diana to her adored trainer Jenni Rivett, who worked with the Princess for seven years.

Rivett sold the sweatshirt in 2019.  With the help of RR Auctions in Boston, Massachusetts, the jumper was sold at auction for £42,760 to a mystery buyer from California for ten times the estimate.

Photographers would then struggle to sell pictures of Diana because she looked the same day after day when leaving her gym in London

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