Items once owned by Princess Diana that were auctioned over the years
From the Revenge Dress to the Ford Escort gifted by King Charles: The items once owned by Princess Diana which have come up for auction over the years… as black sheep jumper is tipped to sell for up to £70,000
- Princess Diana’s iconic sheep jumper to be auctioned for first time in September
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Almost three decades after her death, Princess Diana remains one of the world’s most idolised women.
Over the years, keen royal collectors have battled it out so that they might own one of the Princess’s items when they have come up for auction.
From her iconic ‘Revenge Dress’ to her first car, Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt and ‘black sheep’ sweater which came up for sale this month, we tell the stories behind some of Princess Diana’s most famous possessions.
The Revenge Dress – £39,000
The iconic ‘Revenge Dress’ that Princess Diana wore to the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 was actually created in September 1991 by Christina Stambolian
The sketch of Princess Diana’s revenge dress by Christina Stambolian taken from the book Diana: A Life in Dresses by Claudia Joseph
Best known as the Revenge Dress, Princess Diana donned the iconic black mini piece for a gala at the Serpentine Gallery on the same night in 1994 when Prince Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful to her.
Although the revealing number was unusual for a royal, she greeted people with poise and confidence.
Designed by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the fitted off-the-shoulder dress featured an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train that flowed in the wind.
It had been leaked that Diana was going to wear Valentino to the event, so instead she wore the daring gown which had previously been sat in her closet for three years.
Its designer remembered Diana asking for a ‘special dress for a special occasion’ in her store back in 1991, according to Claudia Joseph’s book, Diana: A Life in Dresses.
The revenge dress is made up of an asymmetrical hem, with a flattering sheer tail which dangles from the cinched waist
Christina Stambolian (pictured) says she remembers Princess Diana asking for a ‘special dress for a special occasion’ in her store back in 1991
After a few sketches, they decided on the legendary short hem. It took two dressmakers more than 60 hours to create the dress.
In the summer of 1997, not long before her death, Diana put 79 of her dresses up for auction at Christie’s in New York.
The proceeds were shared between multiple organisations, including cancer and AIDS-related charities.
The Revenge Dress, which had originally cost the Princess £900, was sold at auction in July 1997 for a staggering £39,098 – more than £85,000 in today’s prices.
Diana’s dress was bought by Graeme and Briege Mackenzie, a Scottish couple who at the time revealed they would use it to continue to raise money for charities.
To mark the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2017, the Revenge Dress was displayed at the Museum of Style in Newbridge, Ireland, in their exhibition ‘Diana: A Fashion Legacy’.
Letter in which Princess Diana discussed her marital woes – £8,750
A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes is set to go on sale. The letter reads simply: ‘If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle’
A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes sold for £8,750 earlier this year on February 14 at Chiswick Auctions.
The letter on a single sheet of Kensington Palace headed note paper was dated May 11, 1995, and addressed to a Mrs Cotton.
The letter, which came in an envelope, reads simply: ‘If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle’.
The identity of Mrs Cotton, someone with whom Diana could share such personal information, is currently unknown.
The letter was written six months before she famously told Martin Bashir on the BBC ‘there were three people in this marriage’ – in reference to her, King Charles and Camilla
It was written six months before she famously told Martin Bashir on the BBC ‘there were three people in this marriage’ – in reference to her, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
While handwritten letters by the late Princess are not uncommon to come by, head of sale Valentina Borghi said this one was of particular interest.
She said it has ‘such personal and intimate content’ and is ‘quite remarkable as it references directly that famous quote ‘there were three people in this marriage’.
The auction house had given the letter an estimate of up to £2,200.
Red Austin Mini Metro – £,6000 (in the 1990s)
What was perhaps the Princess’s first motor, which she drove as the plain Lady Diana Spencer before she married Charles, was an Austin Mini Metro. Diana sold the car in June 1981. Above: Diana in the car outside her London flat in February 1981
A 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer pictured leaving her London flat to drive away her then-new Mini Metro car to her job at a kindergarten in Pimlico
Diana was well-known for her love of cars over her years, and in her time she owned a number of luxury vehicles and motorcars which are now considered classics.
But what may have been the Princess’s first motor, which she drove as 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer until she sold it in June 1981, was the red Austin Mini Metro which was affectionately known as her ‘courting car’.
The car was bought by the then-Prince Charles for £3,495 in 1980. The King took the Metro on a 20-mile test drive out of the British Leyland factory in Longbridge, England.
Diana was then working as a nanny at the Young England kindergarten in Pimlico, and lived in a flat in Earl’s Court, west London.
Diana’s astonished look as she stalled her new car outside her flat in Earl’s Court in 1980
Since Diana sold the car, it has had three owners and has clocked up 30,000 miles
Whenever Diana would step out of the house in her beloved Metro, she was followed by countless cameras.
It has had three owners since it left the Royal fleet, and has clocked up a very modest 30,000 miles.
It sold at auction in the 1990s for £6,000, but it is now under the ownership of the Coventry Transport Museum where it sits on display.
Now rarely seen on British roads, the retro 1980 model is one of the first Austin Mini Metros, designed to be a slightly bigger alternative to the classic Mini.
Velvet Travolta Gown – £264,000
The Princess of Wales wowed the great and the good of Hollywood when she wore the Victor Edelstein blue velvet evening gown at the state dinner in 1985
The Princess of Wales wowed when she wore the Victor Edelstein midnight blue velvet evening gown at a state dinner in 1985.
It was there that her dance to Saturday Night Fever with the film’s star John Travolta became a sensation.
First Lady Nancy Reagan explained that she would escort Travolta over to Diana around at midnight so he could ask her to dance – and the pair then jived for what the actor said felt like 15 minutes.
The gown has off-the-shoulder straps, while a diagonally swathed velvet skirt hugs the figure tightly to the knee with a bow to one side, then flares out into a broad flounce above layered tulle petticoats.
Edelstein made dresses for Diana for over 11 years. She would often pop into his shop in Kensington, west London, to look through the collections while her security guard waited outside.
She saw this model in his studio in burgundy and requested it be made for her in midnight blue.
The fittings for the gown took place in her private apartments at Kensington Palace. At the last fitting, Diana was so delighted with the final result that she rushed to show it to her husband.
The gown has off the shoulder straps, while a diagonally swathed velvet skirt hugs the figure tightly to the knee with a bow to one side, then flares out above layered tulle petticoats
He reputedly told her she looked wonderful in the gown and that it would be perfect to wear with jewels.
The dress was among those sold by Diana in the summer of 1997 when she was raising money for charity.
Florida-based businesswoman Maureen Dunkel bought the dress, keeping it until she went bankrupt in 2011. She put the dress up for auction but it remained unsold.
In March 2013, it was eventually sold for £240,000 to a British man, who reportedly bought it as a gift to cheer up his wife.
This is believed to be the last time the dress was available in a public auction until December 2019, when it failed to reach the reserve price of around £200,000 with Kerry Taylor Auctions.
The velvet dress was later sold post-auction to Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that manages royal properties, for £264,000.
The Virgin Atlantic Sweatshirt – £42,760
Princess Diana repeatedly wore the Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt to the gym to annoy paparazzi. Above: Diana leaving the Chelsea Harbour Club gym in the sweatshirt in November 1995
Jenni Rivett, Diana’s personal trainer, and RR Auctions in Boston auctioned off the sweater to a mystery California buyer
Diana’s ‘Fly Virgin Atlantic’ jumper was a gift from the head of the airline, Sir Richard Branson – and she was often seen wearing it with a pair of bike shorts and trainers when she left the gym at the Chelsea Harbour Club in London.
Often it was accompanied by a pair of bike shorts – usually in bright orange – along with white sports socks and trainers.
Her go-to outfit would later become a point of frustration for photographers who struggled to find interest in their photos because they all looked the same.
This became one of Diana’s ways to challenge photographers and prevent them from getting a fresh shot of her.
The well-used sweater was then given by Diana to her adored trainer Jenni Rivett, who worked with the Princess for seven years.
Photographers would then struggle to sell pictures of Diana because she looked the same day after day when leaving her gym in London
Rivett sold the sweatshirt in 2019.
The trainer said at the time: ‘A few months before her untimely death she called me to say she had left a few sweatshirts for me.
‘Amongst them, this one — which I have now decided to part with.’
A note from Diana to Jenni accompanied the sweater, along with a thank you card from the trainer who said she would use the money to ‘help a Malawian family, which I know Diana would be happy about.’
She continued: ‘The princess would definitely approve if she were still alive. Causes in Africa were always very close to her heart.’
With the help of RR Auctions in Boston, Massachusetts, the jumper was sold at auction for £42,760 to a mystery buyer from California for ten times the estimate.
Swan Lake Jewellery Set – $630,000
The diamond and pearl necklace was famously worn by Diana in a sequinned turquoise Jacques Azagury dress at the gala evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in June 1997
The necklace, made from 178 diamonds totalling 51 carats and five matching 12mm South Sea pearls, also had a pair of matching earrings
The diamond and pearl necklace was famously worn by Diana in a sequinned turquoise Jacques Azagury dress at the gala evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in June 1997 – her last official engagement before her death.
The necklace was a gift from Dodi Fayed, the Egyptian film producer who was her partner at the time.
Made from 178 diamonds totalling 51 carats and five matching 12mm South Sea pearls, the necklace was returned to Crown jewellers Garrard so they could make a matching pair of earrings for her.
Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, Evelyne Poumellec, head of jewellery design at Garrard between 1996 and 1998, said: ‘In early March 1997, I was given clear instructions: it was urgent, I had to drop everything else I was working on, and it was to remain confidential.
The pearl necklace is made of 178 diamonds and five 12mm matching South Sea pearls
‘I was given seven pearls [the finished necklace holds 12] to create a necklace and earrings for a princess. Of course, we did not mention names, but I was fully aware of who this might be for.’
Evelyne recalled working ‘feverishly’ to get the necklace completed in time for the event — a moment so significant, she believes, because the newly divorced Princess was eager to show her independence by wearing jewellery she had chosen.
The necklace was made deliberately to represent the Princess’s modern take on fashion.
But before the complete set could be given to Diana, she and Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris in August of that year.
The jewellery set is believed to be the fifth most expensive set of jewels ever worn by a royal.
Diana’s engagement at the Royal Albert Hall while wearing the necklace was one of her most photographed outings.
The magnificent gems – known as the Swan Lake Suite – previously belonged to a prominent Ukrainian family since 2008, but have since sold them
The jewels were set to be auctioned off in New York with Guernsey’s auction house this month – with an expected sale price of £4m to £11m – but the business announced on its website that the set had been privately sold to a prominent museum instead.
The magnificent gems – known as the Swan Lake Suite – were sold by Ukrainian real estate developer Mark Ginzburg, who bought them in 2010 for $632,000..
Due to the fact that she was part of the Royal Family, most of the jewellery Diana wore was loaned to her by the Crown.
So, the Swan Lake Suite is thought to be the only fine jewellery owned by Diana herself to be sold.
Silver Ford Escort – £47,000
A Ford Escort that was once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales was sold at auction to a museum in South America for £52,640 in June 2021
Lady Diana Spencer in her Ford Escort car watching Prince Charles playing polo at Windsor on May 1, 1981
Lady Diana Spencer was given her silver 1.6L Ghia saloon Ford Escort by Charles as an engagement present in May 1981, two months before they were married in July that year.
She often drove it to watch her beau play polo.
The bonnet features a silver frog – a copy of the original frog mascot which was given to the princess by her sister Sarah and which Diana kept when she sold the car.
The princess stopped using the vehicle soon after giving birth to Prince William in 1982, and it was later bought for £6,000 by an antique dealer as a birthday present for his daughter.
It had belonged to royal fan, Tina Kirkpatrick, since around 2000, who drove it only sparingly without disclosing its history to her friends.
The Ford Escort Mark III Ghia was Diana’s daily runaround from May 1981 – two months before the Royal wedding – until August 1982. Pictured, Princess Diana watching Prince Charles playing polo at Windsor
The Princess of Wales got rid of the car two months after giving birth to Prince William. Pictured, the Ford Escort car that Prince Charles gave to Princess Diana as a present
The vehicle was sold in June 2021 in an online auction by Reeman Dansie, of Colchester, Essex, to a telephone bidder for £52,640, including VAT and the buyer’s premium.
The hammer price was £47,000, exceeding the pre-auction estimate of between £30,000 and £40,000.
The winning bid came from a museum in South America.
The car still carries its original registration, WEV 297W, as well as its original paint and upholstery, and has 83,000 miles on the clock.
Purple Ball Gown – £488,000
The famous purple evening gown, which features a tulip-shaped stiffened skirt, was first worn by the Princess of Wales in a royal portrait painted by Douglas Anderson in 1991
The Victor Edelstein dress (pictured) worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, sold for $604,800 in an auction at Sotheby’s New York salesroom in January
The famous purple evening gown, which features a tulip-shaped stiffened skirt, was first worn by the Princess of Wales in a royal portrait painted by Douglas Anderson in 1991.
The portrait today hangs in the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London. Diana was a keen supporter and visitor and served as the hospital’s president.
She later wore the dress again for a 1997 Vanity Fair cover shoot with photographer Mario Testino.
The photo shoot ultimately proved to be the last official portraits taken of Princess Diana before her death.
Diana would wear the dress again for a 1997 Vanity Fair spread, shot by photographer Mario Testino.
That year, the ball dress of deep aubergine silk velvet, with a tulip-shaped stiffened skirt, augmented by three paste buttons at the back, was sold as part of a charity event.
Four bidders reportedly broke out into a ‘bidding war’ over the silk velvet gown for nearly five minutes
It formed part of an auction of 80 dresses to raise money for the charities Aids Crisis Trust and the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund.
The ball dress, designed for Edelstein’s Autumn 1989 collection, fetched $24,150.
The strapless purple evening gown sold again in January at Sotheby’s New York for £488,150 – five times the pre-auction estimate.
Four bidders reportedly broke out into a ‘bidding war’ over the gown, according to Vogue.
Cross Necklace – £163,800
Kim Kardashian purchased the iconic cross necklace previously worn by Princess Diana for $197,000. Diana is seen wearing it in 1987
Kim Kardashian bought the beloved purple amethyst-and-diamond-encrusted Attallah cross pendant previously worn by Princess Diana for £163,800 during an auction held by Sotheby’s in January.
The late Princess of Wales famously wore the glittery piece with an Elizabethan-style black and burgundy dress during a London charity gala in October 1987.
She paired the lavish necklace with a black and burgundy long-sleeved velvet gown, which came with a ruffled neckpiece.
Between the flashy pendant and the stylish dress, the Princess dazzled at the event.
The enormous cross-shaped pendant features large amethyst stones, framed by 5.2-carat diamonds.
The cross pendant was made in 1920 by the jewellery company Garrard. According to Vogue, Diana was friends with the man who owned it, businessman Naim Attallah, who loaned it to her
The pendant was made in 1920 by the jewellery company Garrard, and according to Vogue, Diana was friends with the man who owned it, British businessman Naim Attallah.
The mogul, who passed away in 2021, loaned it to her for the event.
Four people competed in a bidding war, before Kardashian won the auction after just five minutes.
A source close to the SKIMS founder revealed that Kim is ‘honoured to be able to own a fine piece of jewellery once worn by the late princess’ and to add to her growing collection of historic memorabilia worn by ‘strong, iconic women who have inspired Kim.’
‘Diana was a woman of incredible style, beauty, and grace. Kim is honoured to be able to own a fine piece of jewellery once worn by the late princess,’ the insider previously told DailyMail.com.
Scarlet Bruce Oldfield Dress – expected to sell for up to £320,000
Princess Diana pictured in her Bruce Oldfield gown at the premiere of Hot Shots! at the Odeon Cinema in London’s Leicester Square in November 1991
The late royal – who passed away at the age of 36 in 1997 – owned several bespoke gowns by designer Bruce Oldfield, including the scarlet dress she wore to the premiere of Hot Shots! in November 1991.
The dress and two others worn by Diana are being sold later this year via Julien’s Auctions.
The scarlet dress is the most valuable of the three and is expected to sell for between £160,000 and £320,000.
Princess Diana attended the 1991 film premiere in Leicester Square with President Arpad Goncz of Hungary and his wife.
The glistening silk gown – which Diana wore with a pearl choker and satin shoes – is expected to sell for up to £320,000
The stylish royal paired her show-stopping frock with an 11-strand pearl choker and matching red satin heels.
Oldfield had a professional relationship with Diana for 10 years and designed some of her most well-known outfits.
The US-based auctioneers and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) jointly announced the sale of more than 1,000 objects closely associated with cultural figures, known as the Hollywood Legends collection.
The two-day sale will take place on August 26 and 27 – one week before the 26th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.
Catherine Walker Jade-Green Gown – expected to sell for up to £160,000
Princess Diana pictured arriving at a gala at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto in October 1991 wearing a Catherine Walker dress
The Catherine Walker dress Diana wore in Toronto is expected to sell for up to £160,000
Alongside the silk Oldfield gown, two of Princess Diana’s Catherine Walker dresses will also be included in the auction.
The London-based French designer – who passed away in 2010 – was the royal’s personal dresser for over 16 years and her brand is often worn by Diana’s daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales.
Walker also created Princess Diana’s most famous garments for sixteen years, including the black cocktail dress that she was buried in.
In 1986, Princess Diana wore a black and jade short-sleeved gown with a draped silk skirt to a gala dinner at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
The vintage dress – which Diana wore with the Spencer tiara – is expected to sell for up to £160,000.
Red and White ‘Black Sheep’ Sweater – expected to sell for up to £70,000
Diana, the late Princess of Wales pictured wearing the ‘Black sheep’ wool sweater by Warm and Wonderful at the Windsor Polo in June 1980
Sales of the jumper soared after Diana was spotted wearing it to the polo in June 1980, alongside her ex-husband Prince Charles and sister-in-law Sarah Ferguson
The red and white ‘black sheep’ sweater, which had been lost for decades, is being offered at auction for the first time at Sotheby’s in New York on September 7 and is predicted to sell for up to £70,000.
The late Princess Diana first wore the famous woollen jumper to a polo match which her fiancé, the then-prince of Wales, was competing in in June 1981.
While Diana stunned in an array of colourful sweaters over the years, nothing stood out quite as much as this number – with its black and white sheep motif.
A few weeks after its first appearance, designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace requesting either a repair or a replacement for the sweater as it had been damaged.
They knitted a new sweater for the late princess, but the whereabouts of the original remained unknown until they rediscovered it in March this year in their attic, tucked away in a small box beside a cotton bedspread.
While Diana stunned in an array of colourful sweaters over the years, nothing stood out quite as much as this number
A few weeks after its first appearance, designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace requesting either a repair or a replacement as the jumper has a small tear in the cuff
The iconic piece was one of the first pieces designed by the pair for their knitwear label Warm & Wonderful and helped to catapult their brand into the public eye.
They said: ‘Much to our amazement, the first we knew of Lady Diana Spencer wearing the sweater was when we saw her on the front page of one of the Sunday newspapers.
‘Her influence was impactful almost immediately thereafter, leading to a surge in sales and public awareness of our small label, for which we will be forever grateful.’
Warm & Wonderful stopped producing the black sheep style in 1994, but it was reissued in 2020 as a collaboration with the brand Rowing Blazer.
The actress Emma Corrin, who played Diana in the fourth season of Netflix’s The Crown in 2020, wore a replica of the sweater.
Meanwhile, a sweater of the same design is part of the permanent collection of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
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