Prince Harry Wants to Buy Princess Diana’s Famous ‘Revenge Dress’ for Meghan Markle: Report
Prince Harry reportedly wants to own one of the most famous items associated with Princess Diana.
The Duke of Sussex hopes to purchase his mother’s iconic “revenge dress” when it comes up for auction later this year, Rob Shuter claimed in his Naughty But Nice Substack.
Princess Diana made a statement with her ‘revenge dress’
From the moment she stepped on the royal stage, Diana started making fashion history. But one of her most memorable sartorial moments came in June 1994. That’s when she stepped out in a figure-hugging little black dress designed by Christina Stambolian for an event at the Serpentine Gallery in London. The Princess of Wales donned the eye-catching garment the same day Prince Charles went on national TV and publicly admitted to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Now, Diana’s LBD is hitting the auction block for the first time in 30 years. Sotheby’s will offer the dress on December 9, during its Luxury Week sale series in New York. It’s estimated to sell for between $150,000 and $300,000.
The dress was last offered for sale in 1997 by Diana herself, who sold 79 of her dresses to raise funds to benefit cancer and AIDS charities.
Prince Harry sees the dress as ‘a symbol of his mother taking back her power’
Competition for the piece of royal fashion history will surely be fierce. But Harry is apparently keen on emerging as the top bidder. Insiders say he wants the dress for his wife, Meghan Markle. Like Diana, Meghan has fought battles with the royal family.
“Harry sees that dress as a symbol of his mother taking back her power,” a source told Naughty But Nice. “Diana wore it to clap back at Charles, Camilla and an institution that had made her miserable. In Harry’s mind, Meghan understands that story better than almost anyone.”
Wearing the dress on such a momentous night is now seen as a power move by Diana. But she almost left it hanging in her closet. The princess had owned the strapless, low-neckline dress for several years, but had not worn it because she thought it was too daring. However, she decided the evening her estranged husband admitted to his longstanding affair was the night to make a statement.
“Fashion can be a language when words fail or are simply not enough. Princess Diana understood that instinctively. What makes this dress extraordinary is not merely that it was worn by the princess, nor that its appearance at the Serpentine event made headlines around the world. It is what it communicated,” Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said. Diana’s dress was a powerful message during a “scrutinized and emotionally charged” part of her life, she added.
Years later, the dress still resonates as a “show of confidence and self-possession,” Halimi continued. “[Diana] 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.”
Prior to the auction in December, the dress will go on display in London, Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York. Part of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.
