A dress worn by Princess Diana breaks an auction record at nearly $1.15 million

 A gown worn by Princess Diana was just sold for $1,143,000. It was expected to sell for between $100,000 and $200,000, but turned out to sell for 11 times that amount. The dress, designed by Jacques Azagury, is described as having “a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars, a drop waist with a two-tier, royal blue organza skirt, a sash, bow, and of course, shoulder pads.” Princess Diana had been reported wearing the dress to two major events. The first being when she toured Italy accompanied by then-Prince Charles, and then to a dinner on behalf of the Mayor of Florence in April 1985. The next was when she wore it in 1986 to Vancouver, Canada when she watched a Symphony Orchestra performance at Orpheum Theatre. Elizabeth Holmes, an author dedicated to writing about the royal family, states that this piece isn’t considered to be one of Diana’s “better known pieces,” making the auctioned off price very shocking.

Growing up I always adored Princess Diana, and even 25 years after her passing she still continues to inspire people all around the world. As a member of the royal family, Princess Diana held a lot of power and media attention for her time. Whereas most famous figures of that time would not speak up against controversial issues, Princess Diana chose to do so. In 1987, she opened the UK’s first specialist HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital. She was a primary figure in erasing the stigma HIV/AIDS had during the height of the AIDS epidemic. A famous quote from her was “You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.”  Not only was she an inspiration for this reason, but for many more including her beginning to auction off her clothes in 1997 for charity. Without Princess Diana’s kindness in terms of beginning the process of auctioning her clothing, who knows whether the world would be able to appreciate her wardrobe to this day.

Published by Marisa Potts, December 19th, 2023

Originally written, 2:40 PM ET, December 19th, 2023, by Diba Mohtasham

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/19/1220357313/princess-diana-dress-breaks-auction-record