Three dresses worn by Princess Diana were sold for £1.3 million in an auction in Beverly Hills, California. The auction, organized by Julien’s Auctions, exceeded expectations and included over 1,400 items.
One of the dresses, a red silk Bruce Oldfield dress worn by Princess Diana to the premiere of ‘Hot Shots’ in London in 1991, was sold for £458,484, nearly three times the estimated price. Another gown, a black and jade dress by Catherine Walker, fetched the same amount, and a custom black velvet and ivory frock by the same designer sold for £407,541.
The sale of Diana’s dresses surpassed all expectations, according to Martin Nolan, the executive director of Julien’s Auctions. The gowns had not been seen in public for over 30 years and were originally bought by US businesswoman Ellen Petho just two months before Diana’s death. Petho kept only three of the dresses, and after her death, her husband decided to sell them to fund a scholarship for art and design students in her honor.
According to Petho’s daughter, Karrie, their mother was inspired by Prince William’s belief that the dresses should not remain in a closet but should be out in the world doing good. The proceeds from the sale will contribute to funding the scholarship and carrying out that vision.