PRINCESS DIANA’S ICONIC “REVENGE DRESS” TO BE AUCTIONED FOR FIRST TIME

Sat 12 September 2026:

Famous black dress worn after Charles publicly admitted infidelity expected to fetch up to $300,000

The iconic black evening dress worn by Princess Diana on the night her estranged husband, then-Prince Charles, publicly admitted to being unfaithful is set to go under the hammer for the first time.

The silk dress, designed by Christina Stambolian and famously dubbed Diana’s “revenge dress,” is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $300,000 at Sotheby’s in New York on Dec. 9, according to a press release.

Diana wore the striking outfit to a fundraising dinner hosted by Vanity Fair at London’s Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994.

Her appearance came hours after a nationally televised documentary aired in which Charles acknowledged that he had been unfaithful during their marriage. The couple had already been separated for almost two years.

Diana’s arrival in the fitted black dress, surrounded by photographers, quickly became one of the most enduring images of the princess and a landmark moment in modern fashion.

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A Symbol of Confidence and Independence

The media soon labeled the outfit the “revenge dress,” interpreting Diana’s decision to wear it as a powerful display of confidence while her troubled marriage was under intense public scrutiny.

The off-the-shoulder design features a pleated bodice, an asymmetric hem and a dramatic chiffon train. Diana completed the look with black heels, a clutch and a pearl choker featuring an antique sapphire-and-diamond brooch that had been given to her as a wedding present by the Queen Mother.

Diana had owned the dress for three years but had previously regarded it as too daring for a public appearance. Shortly before the event, she reportedly abandoned a more conventional Valentino gown in favor of the Stambolian design.

Her stylist at the time, Anna Harvey, said Diana “wanted to look a million dollars.”

Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, said Diana recognized that fashion could be used to communicate powerful messages.

“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made,” Halimi said.

The outfit subsequently helped popularize the concept of “revenge dressing,” a phrase now commonly associated with choosing clothes that convey confidence, independence or personal transformation following a breakup or difficult period.

Dress Returns to Auction After Nearly Three Decades

Diana herself previously offered the Stambolian dress for sale as part of a charity auction in June 1997, just months before her death in August that year.

The auction featured 79 outfits personally selected by Diana and raised money for cancer and AIDS charities. The current owners purchased the dress at that sale and have retained it ever since.

The upcoming auction will also include a rare original catalogue from the 1997 sale, numbered and signed by both Diana and Stambolian. The catalogue credits Diana’s son, Prince William, with proposing the original charity auction.

A portion of proceeds from the December sale will be donated to NHS Lothian Charity on behalf of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

Before reaching the auction block, the dress will travel internationally as part of an exhibition tour. It will be shown at Sotheby’s in London from Sept. 18 to 24 during London Fashion Week, before traveling to Hong Kong and Geneva.

It will then arrive at Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York, where it will be displayed from Dec. 2 ahead of the live auction on Dec. 9.

The original dress has not been publicly exhibited for almost 30 years. Replicas, however, have featured in exhibitions and television productions, including Netflix’s royal drama The Crown.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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