Princess Diana and Royal items fetch £4 million at auction
Items owned and worn by Princess Diana are on display during an auction preview - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
An auction including former belongings of Princess Diana has fetched more than £4 million in Los Angeles.
The sale on Thursday featured more than 200 items from members of the Royal family, but was billed as the most extensive collection of Diana’s personal belongings since she held her own charity auction in 1997 – two months before her death, the Press Association reported.
A 1987 Victor Edelstein magenta silk and lace evening dress owned by Princess Diana is displayed for the auction - Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
A magenta silk and lace off-the-shoulder evening dress designed by Victor Edelstein, which Diana wore in London and Germany in 1987, topped the sale at $910,000 (£720,000) – 4.5 times its original lower estimate.
British creator Edelstein also designed the famous navy blue dress Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
Princess Diana wearing the ink-blue velvet gown designed by Victor Edelstein and worn to a White House ball in 1985 - Snowdon/Camera Press
Meanwhile, a Murray Arbeid midnight blue strapless gown that Diana wore twice in 1986 – to the Phantom Of The Opera premiere and to a dinner with King Constantine of Greece – and to a Royal Opera House performance of Cinderella in 1987 also topped its estimate.
The gown sold for $780,000 (£617,000), almost four times its lower estimate.
A 1989 Hong Kong royal tour Catherine Walker yellow and navy skirt suit worn by Princess Diana was on display - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Diana’s favourite designers including Edelstein, Caroline Charles, and Catherine Walker all featured in the auction titled Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection, which was held at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
A pink floral silk shirt dress designed by Catherine Walker featured in Princess Diana's Elegance & A Royal Collection at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles - Julien's Auctions/PA Wire
A pink floral silk shirt dress designed by Walker, which Diana wore to Prince William’s sports day at Richmond Stadium in 1988 as well as leaving Prince Harry’s school in Notting Hill in 1992, sold for $444,500 (£352,000).
A portion of the auction proceeds from this gown will benefit Muscular Dystrophy UK, alongside other specified lots.
Princess Diana's hats by Philip Somerville (L-R) 1989 teal hat, 1987 yellow and black turban, and red and cream straw hat worn on tour in Australia were also displayed at 'Princess Diana's Elegance & a Royal Collection' - Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
The auction also featured more than 20 handwritten letters, notes, and holiday cards from Diana.
Many of the letters were written to Maud Pendrey, a former housekeeper at the Spencer family home at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire, where Diana grew up.
Part of a 1988 handwritten letter from Princess Diana to Mrs Pendrey - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A three-page handwritten letter to Mrs Pendrey in 1984, written when Diana was pregnant with Harry, sold for nearly 15 times its estimate at 44,450 dollars (£35,000).
While a two-page handwritten letter to Mr and Mrs Pendrey from Diana in 1985, which featured reference photos of William and Harry which Diana signed “This comes with much love from the four of us” – sold for $28,575 (£23,000).
A 1981 Royal wedding invitation to Mrs Pendrey is on display for the auction - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A 1983 signed holiday card from Princess Diana for Mrs Pendrey - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The phenomenal results of today’s historic auction held just a few days before Princess Diana’s birthday demonstrates why Diana is and always will remain one of the world’s most beloved and inspiring cultural figures,” Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auctions, said.
“These exquisite garments, shoes and accessories made not only fashion statements but also displayed her warmth and humanity that made Diana the most popular and greatest Royal style icon of all time.”
Shoes and purses belonging to Princess Diana were also offered - Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
The sale comes after a Jacques Azagury-designed dress worn by Diana in Italy in 1985 set a new world record for the most expensive dress worn by the royal at auction, selling for more than $1 million in December.
A 1982 signed photograph of Princess Diana and Prince William (left) and a 1993 signed holiday card with photo were offered for the auction - Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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