Princess Diana’s 1991 time capsule opened after being buried for 34 years
A piece of royal history has been unearthed at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where a time capsule buried by Princess Diana in 1991 was opened on August 27, 2025.
The discovery offers a glimpse into her life in the early 1990s, revealing personal mementos chosen by the late princess.
Inside the lead-encased wooden box were items that spoke to the era: Kylie Minogue’s 1990 “Rhythm of Love” album, a Casio pocket TV, a passport, a copy of the Sunday Times from the day of burial, and a signed photograph of Diana herself.
Despite some water damage, most of the artefacts remained intact after more than three decades underground.
Diana, who became president of Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1989, worked with two children who won a competition run by the BBC children’s show “Blue Peter” to select the capsule’s contents.
It was buried within the foundations of the hospital’s Variety Club Building, which later opened in 1994.
At the time, it was intended to remain sealed for centuries, but with the construction of a new children’s cancer centre it was recovered.
The unveiling also echoes a royal tradition. When Princess Diana buried her capsule in 1991, it mirrored an act by Alexandra of Denmark, another Princess of Wales who later became Queen Consort, who had placed her own time capsule in the hospital’s foundations in 1872.
Unlike Diana’s, Alexandra’s capsule has never been retrieved.
Great Ormond Street Hospital said the reopening of Diana’s capsule comes at a poignant moment as the institution looks ahead to a new era of paediatric care.
For many, the rediscovery is also a reminder of the late princess’s bond with children and her legacy of compassion that continues to inspire nearly three decades after her death.
IOL Entertainment