More than 200 items were up for bid at the auction, which the auctioneers claimed to be the largest collection of Diana’s personal effects since she had her own charity auction two months prior to her death in 1997.
At $910,000 (£720,000), or four and a half times its initial lower estimate, a magenta silk and lace off-the-shoulder evening gown designed by British Victor Edelstein—which Diana wore in London and Germany in 1987—topped the auction.
British designer Edelstein also created the famous navy blue dress the princess wore for her 1989 White House dance with John Travolta.
Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection, an auction held on June 26 at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, featured pieces from some of Princess Diana’s favorite designers, including Edelstein, Caroline Charles, and Catherine Walker.
That being said, Princess Diana’s attendance at a 1987 Royal Opera House Cinderella performance and her two 1986 appearances in a midnight blue strapless gown designed by Murray Arbeid both surpassed expectations.
The dress brought $780,000 (£617,000) at auction, nearly quadrupling its lower estimate.
