Princess Diana time capsule prematurely opened after 34 years in London

Princess Diana's time capsule, which she buried in 1991 in London, was opened prematurely yesterday, revealing its content.

The lead-cased wooden box was there to mark the laying of the foundation stone of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), Diana having become the president of the children’s hospital in 1989.

The capsule was intended to be unearthed in “hundreds of years” but was dug up early to make way for the construction of a new children’s cancer centre. 

Diana helped two children, then-11-year-old David Watson and then-9-year-old Sylvia Foulkes, to handpick the items inside her capsule. Both children participated after winning a competition run by British TV show Blue Peter.

The contents are a potent throwback to the early 90s and include a Casio pocket TV, a CD of Kylie Minogue’s 'Rhythm of Love' album, a solar calculator, a collection of British coins, and a copy of the Times newspaper from the date of the capsule’s burial. Headlines on the front page include: “US rejects Iraqi warplanes plea as rebels close in”.

A lot of the buried items had water damage but they remain largely intact.

Diana remained president of GOSH until her death on 31 August 1997. She famously made regular visits to the hospital, visiting children and playing a central role in GOSH’s Wishing Well Appeal.

The new cancer centre is set to open in 2028 and will be a "national resource of the treatment of childhood cancers," according to a GOSH statement following the announcement of the time capsule being opened.

“Developed with families and clinicians, the centre’s design will make it easier for clinical teams to develop kinder, more effective treatments, all delivered in a child-focused environment where children can play, learn and be with their family while at hospital.”