A Dress That Princess Diana Wore To A 1985 Dinner In Italy While On A Royal Tour Recently Sold For Over $1 Million At Auction
Diana Spencer, the former Princess of Wales, was a cultural icon and is still remembered fondly today for her warm, generous spirit and fabulous fashion.
After marrying Prince Charles in 1981, she was catapulted to international fame. Diana did not let the immense status affect her character, though. Instead, she capitalized on the unique opportunity to raise awareness about countless causes.
First and foremost, Diana was known for her dedication to fundraising. At one point in time, she was even affiliated with over one hundred charities that focused on a range of issues– from leprosy to mental health to domestic violence.
She did cut ties with a majority of these charities following her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996 in order to lead a more private life. However, Diana still supported six charities up until her death.
And even after her passing, when the charities initially suffered a funding crisis, the shortfall was not long-lived.
Instead, Diana’s philanthropic legacy lived on since the charities received various grants from the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund– amounting to over one million dollars post-mortem.
Diana was also very well known for her gorgeous fashion and the statement dresses and ensembles she wore, especially the ones following her divorce from Prince Charles.
However, throughout her time with the royal family, Diana knew how to dress to impress, wearing stunning pieces while still maintaining her class and elegance.
Many people try to recreate Diana’s fashion and outfits today, and people are willing to spend lots of money to get their hands on or collect any pieces she once wore.
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That was proven when one of the evening dresses she wore on a royal tour in the 80s recently sold for over $1 million at an auction.
On December 17th, an evening dress worn by Diana to a dinner hosted by the mayor of Florence, Italy, in 1985 was sold at an auction put on by Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood, California, for a whopping $1,148,080.
The dress was designed by Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury. It’s a ballerina-length dress with a black velvet top covered in metallic stars and a blue organza skirt, which was said to be an homage to Diana’s love of dancing. It has shoulder pads, a large bow, and a sash, making it quite on-trend for the 80s.
Although the dress was famously worn to the mayor of Florence’s dinner during a royal tour of Italy, Diana also wore the dress while attending a performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986.
Alongside the dress, a drawing of it was also sold at the auction. While it’s expected for anything owned by the late princess to sell at a great price because of her historical significance, auctioneers were not expecting it to be sold for almost $1.15 million.
In fact, auctioneers thought it would only sell for $100,000. Instead, it sold at a price 11 times greater than that, making it the most expensive dress belonging to Diana ever auctioned.
Previously, it was a purple gown she wore designed by Victor Edelstein, which sold for $604,800 in January 2023.
The buyer of Diana’s dress was not identified, leaving people curiously wondering what they’ll be planning to do with it. Regardless, the dress’ high price once again proves that Diana’s legacy lives on.
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