A time capsule buried by Diana, Princess of Wales at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) in 1991 has been opened, revealing a Kylie Minogue CD, a solar-powered calculator, and a passport.
The lead-encased wooden box was sealed to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the hospital's Variety Club Building, which opened in 1994.
The items in the capsule were selected by two children who won a Blue Peter competition and were intended to represent life in the 1990s. Other objects included a pocket TV, a snowflake hologram, and a photo of Princess Diana.
The time capsule was meant to be unearthed in 'hundreds of years' but was dug up to make way for the construction of a children's cancer centre.
Princess Diana became president of Gosh in 1989 and visited the children's hospital several times before her death in 1997. She helped the two children select the items to be placed in the time capsule.
The CD of Kylie Minogue's Rhythm of Love album, released in 1990, features the songs 'Better the Devil You Know', 'What Do I Have to Do', and 'Shocked'. The CD was chosen by David Watson, then aged 11, from Paignton, Devon. He also selected a sheet of recycled paper and a passport.
Sylvia Foulkes, then aged 9 from Norwich, chose a collection of British coins, a container with five tree seeds, and the snowflake hologram.
The box also included a copy of the Times newspaper from the date of the capsule's burial, with headlines featuring current events from that time.
All items were primarily intact despite some minor damage caused by age.
The project for the new children's cancer centre at Gosh aims to be a `national resource for the treatment of childhood cancers`, which will enhance care for children at the hospital.
