Diana's bike goes on public show

The Tracker bike was used by the Princess of Wales (Photo: Keys)

A bicycle which was ridden by Princess Diana when she was a child has been put on show for the first time.

The Tracker bike was used by the Princess of Wales when she lived in Althorp, Northants, in the 1970s.

It was sold last week for £1,200 at Keys auctioneers in Aylsham, Norfolk, to Alan Goldsmith, of The House On The Hill Toy Museum in Stansted, Essex.

The bike had originally been bought for £20 by Maudie Pendry, a housekeeper employed by Diana's family.

When she died her family put it up for auction.

Mr Goldsmith said he had been determined to buy the bike.

"We decided it should be saved for the nation and also kept in East Anglia," he said.

The lot, which sold for a total of £1,350 including the buyer's premium, also included a letter written in 1982 and a Christmas card from 1994, both signed by Diana, who died 10 years ago.

The bike was unveiled at The House On The Hill Toy Museum on Friday.