- Biggest auction of Princess Diana’s possessions since her death in 1997
- One famous dress sold for $910,000
- Several letters written by the Princess sold for five-figure sums
Gowns worn by the late Princess Diana have sold at auction for millions of dollars in the biggest sale of her possessions since her death in 1997.
The gowns were sold as part of a wider auction of more than 200 items once owned by various members of the British Royal Family. In all, the auction, called Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection, held at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, raised more than $4.5 million.
Huge figures
The item that sold for the most at the auction was a magenta silk and lace off-the-shoulder evening dress, which Princess Diana wore in 1987. The dress, designed by Victor Edelstein, one of the Princess’ favorite designers, sold for $910,000 – more than four times the amount it had been expected to sell for.
Another dress Princess Diana wore in 1986 and 87, sold for $780,000 – an amount far in excess of what it had been expected to reach before the auction was held.
Meanwhile a floral silk shirt dress – made famous when Princess Diana wore it to Prince William’s school sports day in 1988 – sold for $444,500.
More than 20 letters written by Princess Diana to Maud Pendrey, a former housekeeper at the estate where she grew up, also generated a lot of interest from bidders. A handwritten letter from 1984 sold for $44,450, while another – signed as ‘much love from the four of us’ sold for $28,575.
Some of the proceeds of the auction will go to support charity Muscular Dystrophy UK.
Record sale
Despite the interest in the dresses Princess Diana wore, they didn’t set a record for the most a dress worn by the late princess has sold for. In December 2023 at another auction in the US, a Jacques Azagury-designed dress sold for more than $1 million.
