Diana's frocks continue to shock
On the eve of Princess of Wales' birthday, her dresses go under the hammer in LA
Royal history is littered with unbearable ‘what ifs’. Arguably the saddest ‘what if’ is imagining Diana’s alternative fate. The one where she is still alive. This Tuesday, the Princess of Wales would be celebrating her 64th birthday if she had survived the car crash in Paris. Elegant, exciting, energetic and exuding glamour, Diana would still be a royal powerhouse on the global stage using her charm, beauty and influence for the benefit of her charities and causes close to her heart.
A huge part of Diana’s remarkable glamour and allure was her wardrobe. Her style evolution from ‘Shy Di’ in her Sloane Ranger co-ords to the sophisticated, self-assured royal divorcee wearing ‘revenge dresses’ and determined to shape her own destiny was, even now, a stunning transformation that captivated the world. Her clothes and accessories are key essentials in her enduring legacy.
After giving you a preview in last week’s newsletter, we’re not remotely surprised that this latest auction of her outfits, Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection, at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, was a headline-making multi-million-dollar sale. Auction house Julien’s Auctions described the items as the “largest collection” of Diana’s fashion ever to go under the hammer. Many items were being auctioned on 26 June for the first time, with a portion of sale proceeds benefiting Muscular Dystrophy UK
“Princess Diana’s legacy lives on not only through her humanitarian work but also in the timeless elegance of her style, which continues to inspire the world,” said Martin Nolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions.
A silk floral Belville Sassoon dress that Diana called her ‘caring dress’ and famously wore it between 1988 and 1992 to visit children in hospitals sold for £379,000. The dress had been put away in a cupboard of a close friend of Diana's for decades. The buyer, Renae Plant, will display it in her virtual Princess Diana Museum, founded to honour her “humanitarian legacy, fashion history and personal life journey”. Good for you, Renae!
This was one of ten lots to fetch six-figure sums. Among the others were a coat dress and cream silk evening gown, both designed by Catherine Walker, that each sold for $455,000 (£331,000). A Dior handbag given to Diana by former French first lady, Bernadette Chirac, went for $325,000 (£236,000), while a blue sleeveless shift dress by her close friend Gianni Versace fetched $227,500 (£165,000). A yellow floral Bruce Oldfield two-piece and three-piece Escada power suit both sold for $260,000 (£189,000).
Elizabeth Emanuel, the fashion designer who co-created Diana’s wedding 1981 dress, offered up archival items so they could be “loved and appreciated once again by those who will never forget those golden days when Diana was our Queen of Hearts.” One of Emanuel’s designs - a black taffeta evening gown Diana tried on for a fitting in 1981 as an option for her first official appearance since her engagement to then-Prince Charles sold for $26,000 (£19,000).
Diana’s ‘wow’ wardrobe commands large sums at auction - even during her lifetime. In her final summer of 1997, she put 79 dresses up for sale via Christie’s, raising over $3.25 million (£1.2 million) for cancer and AIDS research. The current auction record for one of her outfits was set at Julien’s Auctions in 2023, when a black-and-blue Jacques Azagury gown Diana wore in the mid-1980s sold for $1.14 million (£1 million).
How’s that for a surprise birthday frock!
The King’s celebrity-packed week
Charles has had a busy week hosting President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy for lunch in Windsor Castle, as well as a slew of events, with lots of famous faces. On Wednesday he met gorgeous George Clooney and super-achiever wife Amal, an international human rights lawyer, at Buckingham Palace, for the King’s Trust Award. The couple cut super-stylish figures at the event, there to support the winner of the Amal Clooney Woman’s Empowerment Award. Charles also appointed Kate Winslet as an ambassador to the charity, alongside David Beckham, Sienna Miller and Rod Stewart. “Don’t worry… I’ve got your back,” she quipped in a video. Shame she didn’t for Jack, on that door, that’s all we’re saying…
William phones in
Similarly, Prince William has had an action-packed week for London Climate Week, bringing leaders and institutions together at St James’s Palace, ahead of COP30 in Brazil. “If we are serious about achieving climate and biodiversity goals, indigenous peoples and local communities must be central to the effort, as partners, leaders and co-creators of solutions,” he said. His eco wingman Robert Irwin was in town to support him and on Tuesday Wills called Mills - aka Scott Mills, on Radio 2, to say, “G’Day” and warn the DJ Robert, “likes to pull random terrifying creatures out of his pocket.”
Zara and Mike get into the festival spirit
We know they are fun-loving, but even we weren’t prepared for the viral video which emerged this week of Zara and Mike Tindall living it large at a private festival, clad in dungarees and not much else. Mike, sporting a hard hat and topless under dungarees, joined his wife in lip-syncing to TikToker Chilli Chilton's new song 9,000 miles, alongside actor Jamie Dornan. Pointing to the camera with beer in hand, Mike mouthed, “Problem one, 9,000 f-ing miles”, while Zara sand, “'Two! It’s clearly more one-sided.” The video quickly racked up 700,000 views and unlimited hearts from us, over how much we love this couple. Watch the video below.
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Queen and Philip’s memorial winner
A bridge inspired by a tiara, a statue of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and a redesign of the gardens in London’s St James’s Park are just some of the features in the winning design for the national memorial for Queen Elizabeth II. Lord Norman Forster’s team were announced as the winner of the competition to honour our beloved late monarch. We can’t wait to see it all!