A floral dress Diana Princess of Wales used on numerous hospital visits has sold for $520,000 at the largest ever sale of the late royal’s personal effects.
HELLO! magazine reports that the dress was snapped up by Renae Plant, who founded a virtual museum of Diana’s life. She fell to the floor in shocked celebration as she won the battle at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel to take the Belville Sassoon-designed item.
The dress was designed for a 1988 tour of Australia, but Diana wore it until at least 1992, saving it for occasions where she might meet children, who loved its bright colours. Image courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
“It signifies who she was and envelopes the kindness, the compassion, and the humanitarian that she was,” Renae told HELLO!
Diana chose the dress for visits to hospitals or where she might meet children. Its bright, cheerful look helped to raise spirits. She wore it over and over again, making it tough for the press who followed her every move to date pictures in which it was worn.
It was sold from a $150,000 starting bid. It was sold by a friend of Diana’s, to whom the dress was gifted.
The sale, Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection was hosted by Julien’s Auctions yesterday, June 26.
In their previous Diana sales gowns have gone for $1.1 million (a 1985 Jacques Azagury gown in 2023) and $910,000 (a Victor Edelstein gown sold in 2024).
The “caring” dress went into the sale with a top estimate of $300,000, and items listed as sold dwarfed their estimates.
Like many of the items in the sale, these shoes and clutch have vital photographic evidence of their use by Diana. These sold for nearly 10 times their predicted highest price. Image courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
A Catherine Walker coat dress from 1995 was predicted to make between $30,000 and $50,000. It sold for $455,000 (including buyer’s premium).
A Lady Dior lambskin handback with a top estimate of $30,000 made $325,000.
A British Lung Foundation sweatshirt sold for $221,000 against a $20,000 high estimate.
A pair of Rayne shoes with a matching bag realised $52,000 against a $6,000 top estimate.
Diana is in a league of her own in the world of royal collectibles. The enormous affection in which she was held during her tragically curtailed life has not dimmed. And, her genuine love of fashion makes many of her outfits worthwhile buys for style historians. The 30th anniversary of her 1997 death is likely to spark another round of major sales.
