A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an iconic pop-culture moment.The media dubbed her outfit the "revenge dress".Auction house Sotheby's expects the dress to sell for up to $300,000 (£220,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.A press release from Sotheby's said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities.Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said in a statement that Princess Diana "understood instinctively" that fashion can be a language in its own right."On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life," Halimi said."She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself."
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FRI · 2026-09-11 · 06:54 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0911-110478
NSR-2026-0911-110478News Report·EN·Human Interest
Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' goes up for auction
Auction house Sotheby's expects the dress to sell for up to $300,000 (£220,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.
1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBrandon LivesayBBC News - WorldFiled 2026-09-11 · 06:54 GMTLean · CenterRead · 1 min
BBC NEWS - WORLD
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50%
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Article analysis
Model · rule-basedFraming
Human Interest
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Princess Diana understood fashion can be a language and used the dress to reclaim her narrative.
quoteMorgane Halimi
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Sotheby's expects the dress to sell for up to $300,000 (£220,000).
statisticSotheby's
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The dress was worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after Prince Charles admitted adultery.
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Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' is going up for auction.
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1 min read · 207 words§ 05
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8 identifiedKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
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