Lady Di's career move raises thousands of pounds

For many, an application form is probably something that collects dust in a forgotten corner of the filing cabinet. Well, this one is anything but ordinary. Coming from Diana Spencer, who pulled off a clever trick to get the job. Last Tuesday the piece of paper disappeared under the English auction hammer for a considerable sum.

In May 1979, the then seventeen-year-old Lady Di completed the form. What did the future princess sign up for? As a nanny at the agency Solve Your Problem Ltd. Not just any employer, it was founded by Mary Cook, a former countess. The company is described as “a first class establishment, recruiting staff for royal residences and for homes of the rich and famous in London". Cook kept Diana's form as a souvenir. It was eventually passed on to the company's current owners, who put it up for sale this week. 

A simple mistake? 

The address is 'Cadogan Place SW1', Diana's temporary residence before moving to her own London flat at Colherne Court, Kensington a few months later. An interesting detail is that she enters her date of birth as 1960, instead of 1961. Probably to get the job faster or to receive more pay. But it could also just be a simple mistake, according to auctioneer Andrew Stowe of Auctioneum Ltd. Yes, we all know that one... 

The contract is annotated in blue by the employer. This shows that they eventually discovered Diana's true age. Next to the place where Diana had noted the wrong date of birth it says “almost 18”. Apparently it didn't stop her from getting the job. In fact; the agency turned out to be extremely enthusiastic about young Diana. The employer describes the applicant's skills as “cooking – basic… housework… animals… ballet dancer.” Other comments include 'plaid skirt' and 'pretty girl – send everywhere'..

More than two years later, Diana would become Princess of Wales and her life changed forever. According to auctioneer Stowe, the note represents one of the last remaining snapshots of Diana's 'normal' life. And it turned out; the auction saw interest from all over the world, with bidders from America, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia all trying to get their hands on the form. Ultimately, the winning bid came from an anonymous collector in America. He paid £8.470 (€9.908) for it.