Attorney Purchases Princess Diana's Old Bike For $81,000 To Display In His Office As A Symbol Of 'White Supremacy'

May 11, 2021 by apost team

Until this day, Princess Diana, also called the People's Princess, is remembered fondly all over the world for her impeccable fashion style, kind-hearted manner, and charity work. Diana's early death in 1997 devasted not only the British royal family but also fans across the globe. In the wake of her passing, memorabilia to her quickly rose to prominence. While there have been lulls of interest, Princess Diana remains a popular person and topic even to this day. Certain events and occasions such as documentaries or Netflix's recent series "The Crown" keep people interested in everything there is to know about Diana and the tragic tale behind her rise as a British princess.

Every now and then, curios or mementos of the People's Princess will find their way to an auction house. In the case of former personal belongings of the late princess, these auctions are often organized by her remaining family. Proceeds go towards charity projects Diana funded during her life or which are supported by the royal family now. However, since the business of royal memorabilia trading is so lucrative, one can find many auctions which serve less charitable goals.
One such auction took place in Battle, East Sussex, England, in April 2021.

Princess Diana's former bike sold for a whopping £44,000 (~$62,000) to an attorney from Baltimore, Maryland. Barry Glazer operates The Law Office of Barry R. Glazer, P.C., and reportedly bought the bike and plans to turn it into a memorial of what he describes as the British royal family's racist roots.

The bike in question used to belong to Princess Diana before she married into the royal family. Sussex Live reported that the bike was dubbed the "shame bike" after officials told Diana she would need to get rid of it prior to her marriage to Prince Charles. Why was the bike a problem? The answer to this question is simple and at the same time infuriating: the bike, a blue Raleigh, was considered not fit for a British princess. Not because of the brand or design of the bike, but because it was a bike. At the time, bike riding was seen as unseemly for a future British queen, the Daily Mail reported. So Diana reluctantly sold it to a family friend.

The bike changed owners a few more times over the years before it landed at an auction firm in East Sussex just this spring.

A spokesman for Burston and Hewett, the family-run auction house behind the sale, talked about the symbolism behind the bike and the expected monetary value shortly before the auction:

"This item is a famous symbol of Diana's oppression. Something she loved being taken away; and control over her public appearance for the reputation of what is deemed acceptable for a lady of the British Royal Family.
With most recent headline news surrounding Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex and her treatment by the press and Royal Institution; comparisons have been made between her experience and that of The People's Princess Diana.
There is no doubt that this, in conjunction with the popularity of 'The Crown' series, could see the bike selling well above estimate."

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The auction firm's prediction proved to be true. In the end, the "shame bike" sold for £44,000 (~$62,000) to Barry Glazer, a practicing attorney. In addition to this already high cost, auction fees and tax bring out the total to an astonishing £57,200, according to road.cc. This converts into a staggering amount of roughly $81,000.

According to the Baltimore-based lawyer, the bike symbolizes "white supremacy and the racist system that royalty is based on." In a statement published via his law firm, Glazer explained that the recent events around Prince Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview as well as the heavily publicized funeral for Prince Philip pushed him to buy the bike. The statement read:

"Mr Glazer is particularly disturbed by the fact that major US broadcasting stations televised the funeral of Prince Phillip for several hours, an honor usually reserved for US presidents. 
He explained that the Royal Family's claim for superiority is rooted in the logic of white supremacy. The logic is the same with racism – if wealth, honor, and respect can be earned by the mere accident of birth then surely the advantages of being white as a result of the same accident of birth can easily be justified."

Glazer went on to announce that the bike will be part of a memorial "dedicated to the British Royal Family's basic racist roots" that will be set up in a part of his office building, which was historically used by the underground railroad to assist slaves in reaching freedom. The Baltimore attorney is known locally for his work in animal rights activism, equal rights movements and specializes in medical malpractice legal cases.

What do you think about this auction? Would you have invested that much money, and do you think this is a good use of Princess Diana's bike? Tell us your thoughts and pass this along to friends and family.