Published: 12:09 AM, 13 September 2026
Diana's iconic 'revenge dress' set to fetch up to £220,000
Once a symbol of quiet defiance, Princess Diana's iconic "revenge dress" has gone up for auction 30 years later.
The late Princess of Wales wore the strapless black silk dress to a London party in 1994, hours after her then-estranged husband Prince Charles admitted to infidelity, and her arrival at the Serpentine Gallery became an iconic pop-culture moment.
According to the BBC, auction house Sotheby's expects the dress to fetch up to £220,000 when it goes under the hammer on Dec 9, marking its first appearance at auction since 1997, when Diana sold dozens of her dresses to raise money for charity.
Sotheby's global head of handbags and fashion Morgane Halimi told the BBC Diana had understood that fashion could serve as its own language, and had used the dress to reclaim her own narrative at a moment when her side of things was going unheard.
Diana made a last-minute change before the event, swapping a Valentino gown for the off-the-shoulder Stambolian design, styled by Anna Harvey, who said the princess "wanted to look a million dollars", reported BBC.
The dress will tour Sotheby's showrooms in London, Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York ahead of the sale.
It was bought at Diana's 1997 charity auction by Briege Mackenzie and her late husband Graeme for £39,098, and Mackenzie is now selling it following his death, with part of the proceeds going to Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
A signed copy of the original 1997 auction catalogue, crediting Prince William with the idea for that sale, will also be auctioned alongside the dress.
