Princess Diana wore a custom-made "revenge dress" to a party in London in 1994 after Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery on TV, marking an iconic pop-culture moment dubbed the "revenge dress". The black silk evening dress by Christina Stambolian is now going up for auction at Sotheby's and is expected to sell for up to £220,000. This is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997 when Princess Diana sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities. The sale will be held on December 9.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Princess Diana's 'revenge dress', a custom-made black silk evening gown by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, is going up for auction at Sotheby's in New York on December 9 as part of their Luxury Week. The dress is estimated to fetch up to £220,000, or approximately $377,000. Diana wore the dress to a fund-raising dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in London in June 1994, just hours after Prince Charles (now King Charles III) had appeared on national television and admitted to infidelity during their marriage. The dress was initially intended for a more traditional Valentino outfit, but Diana's former stylist Anna Harvey said that she decided to wear it instead "because she wanted to look a million dollars". This bold choice has made the dress an iconic symbol of Princess Diana's style and resilience in the face of public scrutiny.
Written for “Princess Diana's Auction Sale” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 7766 · logged 2026-09-11
- Published
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.
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Charles → publish → 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.
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arrival → make → Stambolian
The media dubbed her outfit the "revenge dress".
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media → dub → outfit
Auction house Sotheby's expects the dress to sell for up to £220,000 ($300,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.
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it → expect → 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.
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princess → say → 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.
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fashion → say → 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.
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Halimi → turn → life
"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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she → walk → herself
According to Sotheby's, Anna Harvey, her stylist at the time, said Diana "wanted to look a million dollars".
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Diana → accord → time
The princess made a last-minute wardrobe change for the fundraising dinner and chose the strapless evening dress by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian - which she accessorised with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black heels.
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she → make → jewel
The vintage Jaguar XJ40 car that Diana arrived in at the event was sold at auction earlier this year for £66,250.
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Diana → arrive → 66,250
The revenge dress is expected to fetch a considerably higher price.
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dress → expect → price
If it does, it will not be the first time an item from the princess's wardrobe has sold for a significant sum.
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item → do → sum
Princess Diana's sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby's in New York in 2023.
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sweater → feature → 2023
