By Paul Andrews
Princess Diana’s first employment contract where she ”lied about her age to get the job” is set to sell for thousands at auction.
The contract from Solve Your Problem Ltd – an agency offering nannies to the rich – was completed by Diana in May 1979 just weeks after moving to London.
Her address is noted as Cadogan Place SW1 where she temporarily lived before moving to her own London flat at Colherne Court, Kensington, a few months later.
The contract is largely filled out in Diana’s own hand and she incorrectly listed her date of birth as ‘1960’ instead of ‘1961’.
In May 1979 she would have been 17 turning 18 that year – but by changing the year she made herself already 18.
The seller says they were told it was deliberate – so Diana could get the job or better pay.
The document is expected to sell for over £5K when it goes under the hammer at Auctioneum Ltd in Bristol later this month.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe says the error on the date of birth was on purpose by Lady Di.
He said: ”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!
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.’
”Elsewhere on the contract the employers have listed some of Diana’s skills including ‘cook – basic,’ ‘housework,’ ‘animals,’ and ‘ballet dancer.’
”As well as comments of ‘check skirt’ and concluding ‘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,’ adds Andrew ‘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.
The catalogue can be viewed on their website www.auctioneum.co.uk
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