Contents of Princess Diana's 1991 Time Capsule Revealed
- Editor OGN Daily
- Aug 28
- 2 min read
The lead-encased wooden box was sealed in 1991 to mark the laying of the foundation stone of Great Ormond Street hospital’s Variety Club building.
Originally intended to stay sealed for centuries, a time capsule compiled by Diana, Princess of Wales and two children to represent life in the 1990s has been opened prematurely as it needed to be dug up to make way for the construction of a children’s cancer centre.
Two children selected 10 items to represent life in the 90s, after winning a competition on a popular family TV programme: Blue Peter. Diana became president of the children’s hospital in 1989 and was a regular visitor. She helped the two children select the items to be placed in the time capsule. A sheet of recycled paper, a passport, and a CD of Kylie Minogue’s Rhythm of Love album was chosen by David Watson, then aged 11. Sylvia Foulkes, then nine, chose a collection of British coins, a container with five tree seeds, and the snowflake hologram.
The box also included a copy of The Times from the date of the capsule’s burial, a pocket TV and a solar-powered calculator.
Staff who were either born in 1991 or were working at the hospital in 1991 helped to remove the capsule before construction starts on the children’s cancer centre. According to a statement, the centre will be a “national resource of the treatment of childhood cancers” and will help clinical teams develop “kinder, more effective treatments” for children staying at the hospital.
The burial of the time capsule was similar to a ceremony in 1872 during which the then Princess of Wales, Alexandra, laid a foundation stone at the hospital, also sealing a time capsule. However, that time capsule has not been found and remains buried for a future generation to discover.
