More than 25 years after her shocking death, Princess Diana’s iconic Jacques Azagury-designed evening gown went on the auction block for an unbelievable amount.
According to TMZ, the People’s Princess wore the dress while visiting Florence, Italy on April 23, 1985. The dress has been sold for a total of $1,148,080. The auction price is notably 11 times more than what the dress was expected to be sold for. It was initially listed on Julien’s Auction for an estimated $100,000 – $200,000.
The dress was also part of the auction house’s four-day “Hollywood Legends” sale and broke the world record for the most expensive dress worn by Princess Diana to be sold at auction. Along with wearing the dress in Italy, the Princess wore it for a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra event in 1986.
Princess Diana’s dress was placed on display at London’s Kensington Palace for its Fashion Rules exhibit from July 2013 to July 2015. It was put in the auction alongside Diana’s 1981 pink chiffon blouse, which is going for $381,000.
Princess Diana’s Dresses Have Always Sparked Attention in the Best Ways
Diana was known for her keen sense of fashion. Her “revenge dress” was ultimately the gown that attracted attention all over the world.
PEOPLE reports that Diana stepped out for a gala at the Serpentine Gallery in London wearing the fitted, black, off-the-shoulder dress following the news her husband, Prince Charles, cheated on her with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Charles had admitted the affair publicly right before Diana’s event.
“On a human level for Diana, you can only imagine how upsetting that would have been,” PEOPLE Editorial Director Michelle Tauber in PEOPLE’s “Diana Diaries” stated. “Not only to hear that but to know that now the world has heard it. Effectively, Charles has aired some serious dirty laundry.”
Despite the circumstances, Princess Diana remained on schedule and made an appearance at the 1994 event. “Of course, Diana knew that all eyes were going to be on her,” PEOPLE Deputy Style Director Brittany Talarico said. “She didn’t have to say anything with words. It was a fashion response — that dress became her clear message to Charles and the world.”
However, Diana wasn’t originally supposed to wear the Christina Stambolian-designed dress. She was going to go with a Valentino dress, but the information about her look was leaked. William Ivey Long, costume designer for the Broadway musical Diana revealed Diana decided to “fight back” and selected a dress that she had previously rejected. “And she would put that on and go out on the town.”