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Princess Diana's iconic sequined dress sells for megabucks at auction

Sarah Carty
Updated

Princess Diana may have passed away 19 years ago but the public interest in her wardrobe is still as strong as ever.

An iconic sequined dress she first wore on a trip to Austria in 1986 has reportedly been snapped up at auction for an incredible $185,267 (£96,000) by a British museum.

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According to the Evening Standard, the green, shimmering Catherine Walker gown, which the princess went on to wear on three other occasions, was sold just short of the £100,000 set by London auction house Kerry Taylor Auctions.

The dress was worn by the princess in 1986 on an official trip to Austria.
The dress was worn by the princess in 1986 on an official trip to Austria.

Auctioneer Kerry Taylor told the newspaper: "It is unusually glitzy being entirely covered in shimmering sequins - more Hollywood glam than the sedate, elegant numbers she usually wore."

The dress was custom made for the princess by Walker - who was one of Diana's favourite designers - and features shoulder pads, long satin sleeves and a slightly risqué slit down the centre.

Diana famously wore the stunning dress with a dazzling green choker at the Diamond Ball in Vienna and recycled it twice again.

Diana looked breathtaking at the Diamond Ball in Vienna.
Diana looked breathtaking at the Diamond Ball in Vienna.

In 2013 a collection of iconic dresses worn by Princess Diana sold for more that $1.5 million at auction.

The 10 dresses were designed by British designers including Bruce Oldfield and Zandra Rhodes.

The famous Victor Edelstein gown the late princess wore to a White House gala dinner in 1985 went for $440,400.

The dress fetched £96,000 at an auction in London, according to the Evening Standard.
The dress fetched £96,000 at an auction in London, according to the Evening Standard.

Dubbed the "Travolta dress" after Diana was photographed dancing with the (then!) young Hollywood star John Travolta at the White House ball, the midnight blue velvet gown was bought by a mystery British man as a surprise gift for his wife.

Travolta later described the evening as being like "a fairy tale" - and we bet the buyer's wife will be similarly caught up in the gown's magic when she unwraps her gift!

Diana initially sold the dresses at a Christie's charity auction in 1997, just one month before she died, apparently at the suggestion of her son Prince William.