More than 200 pieces worn by the late Princess Diana have gone under the hammer in a historic auction.
Julien’s Auctions is hosting Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection at Peninsula Beverly Hills. It is currently underway and proceeds are going to Muscular Dystrophy UK.
“Princess Diana holds a special place in the heart of Julien’s Auctions, and we are honoured to continue to preserve her legacy, telling her story through the pieces that defined her elegance, grace, glamour and spirit,” Julien’s Auctions co-founder and executive director Martin Nolan said in a statement announcing the auction.
Along with clothing and artefacts worn by the late princess, pieces from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, and historic royal pieces are also under the hammer.
Find out more below.
What items worn by Princess Diana are up for auction?
One item that is up for auction is her iconic all-in-one ski set by Head, which she was photographed wearing on several occasions. It was estimated to fetch between $30,000 and $50,000 USD, but was sold for $325,000 USD.
Another is her two-piece floral yellow set by Bruce Oldfield, which she wore to the Royal Ascot in 1987. It was expected to reach between $100,000 and $200,000 USD, but sold for $260,000 USD.
Another key piece that’s up for sale is her Belville Sassoon floral dress, which she frequently wore when she visited children and hospitals. Nicknamed the ‘caring dress’, it’s recognised for its bright patterns. Along with the iconic dress, a book with a sketch and a photo of Diana wearing it is also up for grabs.
It was sold for $520,000 USD.
“She decided not to wear the large matching hat that was designed to accompany it, as she said you couldn’t cuddle a child in a hat,” curator Matthew Storey said in 2021 about the dress, when the designer’s sketches were displayed in Kensington Palace.
“She would also sometimes wear chunky jewellery when she knew that she was going to meet children, as they would enjoy playing with it.”
This, and the Catherine Walker gown she wore in the Middle East in 1986, were the most expensive items up for sale, but that one went for $455,000 USD.
Other pieces of her clothing, shoes and accessories are also up for sale. Signed illustrations from designers who created clothes for Diana, photos, and other royal memorabilia, have also been sold.
Another key item was her black Lady Dior bag, which went for $325,000 USD. Initially called the ChouChou, it was initially gifted to Diana and then renamed in her honour by the fashion house.
“Her fashion choices were deliberate. Political. Sometimes rebellious. And always emotionally resonant. She used clothing to express joy, signal strength, demand attention, and — on more than one occasion — rewrite the royal rulebook,” a release from the auction house said.
What other Princess Diana dresses have sold at auctions?
It is not the first time the auction house has sold Diana’s clothes and accessories.
Seven items, including shoes, a bag, a two-piece set and dresses, have previously been sold through Julien’s Auctions for more than $3 million.
Other pieces that belonged to the late princess were also snapped up for record prices.
Her black and blue Jacques Azagury dress, which she donned in Florence in 1985 and Vancouver a year later, was bought for $1,148,080 in 2023 – more than 11 times its original asking price.
Earlier that year, it was reported that Kim Kardashian dropped a cool $285,000 on Diana’s ‘Attalah Cross’ necklace at an auction. Private letters exchanged between Diana and her former husband, the now King Charles, also sold for $170,000.
That June, her iconic sheep jumper was found over 40 years after it went missing and was sold for $2.14 AUD million.
Months later, three of Princess Diana’s most iconic gowns, designed by Bruce Oldfield and Catherine Walker, were also sold for a whopping $2.5 AUD million at a Beverly Hills auction.
