New Delhi: More than three decades after being sealed beneath the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), a time capsule placed by the late Princess Diana has been opened, revealing a fascinating snapshot of early 1990s life.

The capsule was buried in March 1991 under the Variety Club Building foundation while Princess Diana served as president of GOSH, a role she held from 1989 until her death in 1997. It was rediscovered during the construction of a new children’s cancer centre and opened earlier this week in a ceremony attended by hospital staff and archivists.

What was inside the time capsule?

The lead-lined wooden box contained a mix of popular items from the early ‘90s, including:

  • A Kylie Minogue Rhythm of Love CD

  • A pocket-sized television

  • British coins of the era

  • A snowflake hologram

  • Kew Gardens tree seeds

  • A solar-powered calculatorhildren’s TV show Blue Peter to decide the contents. A photograph of Princess Diana and a 1991 edition of The Times newspaper completed the collection.

    • Memories from hospital staff

    Janet Holmes, a Senior Health Play Specialist who worked at GOSH in 1991, described the experience as nostalgic:

    • Recycled paper and a European passport

    The capsule also included letters from Sylvia Foulkes and David Watson, two children who had won a contest on the c

    “It brought back so many memories seeing the pocket TV in there – I had bought one for my husband back in the day. They were very expensive then!”

    Rochana Redkar, a Clinical Fellow who helped remove the capsule, said she felt a special connection to the event as she was born the same year the capsule was buried.

    A symbolic connection across time

    Jason Dawson, GOSH’s Executive Director of Space and Place, called the unveiling “quite emotional, almost like connecting with memories of things that have been planted by a generation passed by.”

    Legacy of royal support

    Princess Diana made several visits to the hospital during her presidency, often accompanied by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Her dedication to children’s healthcare remains an enduring part of her legacy.

    Interestingly, GOSH revealed that an even older capsule, reportedly buried by Princess Alexandra in 1872 and said to include a picture of Queen Victoria, has never been found.

    Following the unveiling, the hospital announced plans to create a new time capsule to mark the opening of its upcoming children’s cancer centre, continuing the tradition for future generations.