Princess Diana's 1991 Great Ormond Street Hospital Time Capsule Opened, Revealing 1990s Artifacts

Princess Diana buried a time capsule in 1991 at Great Ormond Street Hospital, commemorating the Variety Club Building's foundation and continuing a royal tradition established in 1872 by Princess Alexandra.

She assisted two children, David Watson and Sylvia Foulkes, who won a Blue Peter competition to select 10 items representing 1990s life for inclusion in the capsule.

The recently opened capsule contained 1990s artifacts, including a Kylie Minogue CD, a solar-powered calculator, a passport, British coins, tree seeds, and a Times newspaper.

Hospital staff, some born or working there in 1991, removed the capsule before constructing the children's cancer center, with archivists confirming the objects remain largely intact.

This event echoes an 1872 tradition where Princess Alexandra sealed a time capsule at the hospital, though an older capsule containing a Queen Victoria photo remains missing.