This bike is for sale.
It's a 1970s ladies' English three-speed. You've probably seen hundreds, if not thousands, of bikes like it--whether in actual use, a yard sale or a Craigslist or eBay listing.
Not so long ago, you could get something like that for a few dollars--unless, of course, someone gave it to you when he or she was moving or cleaning out a garage or basement.
It looks like something your neighbor's mother or aunt rode on her college campus or to her first job.
And, indeed, someone's mother did ride it to work. Of course, she's not the mother of your neighbor--unless you happen to live next to Prince Harry or Prince William.
The bike in the photo--and up for sale--is the one Diana rode to the nursery school where she worked before her wedding to one of the world's three un-sexiest men. (Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani are the others, not only because of their politics.)
What that means, of course, is that you won't get it for an already-inflated on Craigslist, where shysters get away with calling all manner of junk "vintage." No, Diana's bike is expected to fetch 20,000 GBP at Sussex-based auction house Burstow & Hewett.
In the days leading up to the royal wedding, palace staff advised her to stop riding it because it was unbecoming of a royal-to-be. So, she sold it for 211GBP to the father of a friend who kept it in his garage for 27 years.
If you buy the blue 1970s Raleigh Traveler, you'll also get a copy of a 1981 newspaper article and a framed letter from Gerald Stonehill, who bought the bike from Diana.
In case you're interested, the auction will be streamed on 28 April by Burstow & Hewett. Good luck!
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