Two of Princess Diana's iconic dresses to go on display at Kensington Palace

Pink Catherine Walker gown bought for £78,000 at the Kerry Taylor auction
Velvet Bruce Oldfield dress from 1985 raised £50,400 for anonymous seller
Dresses were bought by Historic Royal Palaces charity which runs Kensington Palace

PUBLISHED: 14:01 EST, 20 March 2013 | UPDATED: 15:31 EST, 20 March 2013

Two dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales which were bought for nearly £130,000 yesterday will be displayed to the public for years to come.

The gowns, part of an auction of 10 of the princess's dresses yesterday, were bought by the charity Historic Royal Palaces, which runs Kensington Palace, Diana's former residence.

And the palace is hoping to display at least one of the new dresses in an exhibition this summer alongside other items from their Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.

Diana, Princess of Wales attends Itamaraty Place in 1991

The Catherine Walker pink sequined ivory crepe gown that Princess Diana wore on a State visit to Brazil in 1991 fetched £78,000 at the auction

Two dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales will be displayed to the public after being purchased by the Historic Royal Palaces charity yesterday. The charity paid £78,000 for this Catherine Walker gown

To avoid damage, the garments will not go on permanent display but will periodically be shown to the public in exhibitions, a spokeswoman said.

The charity spent £50,400 on a Bruce Oldfield black velvet evening gown, worn for an official portrait by Lord Snowdon and at the gala opening of Les Miserables at the Barbican Centre in 1985.

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They also purchased a pink sequinned crepe dress by Catherine Walker, worn on a state visit to Brazil in 1991, for £78,000.

The garments were originally sold, with a number of others, by Diana herself following her divorce from the Prince of Wales to raise money for charity at the suggestion of Prince William.

While the star lot of the sale at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London sold for £240,000, the auctioneer said she was particularly pleased about the sales to the palace.

The Princess Of Wales At The Barbican For A Performance Of Lles Miserables in 1985

The Bruce Oldfield black velvet evening gown that Princess Diana wore at the gala opening of 'Les Miserables' at the Barbican centre in 1985 fetched £50,400 at auction

The Bruce Oldfield black velvet evening gown that Princess Diana wore at the gala opening of Les Miserables at the Barbican centre in 1985 sold for £50,400 at the Kerry Taylor auction

Kerry Taylor said: It's important for the generations to come.

'Diana was the people's princess, so the people should be able to see these dresses. This is our heritage, our history.'

A Historic Royal Palaces spokeswoman said: "We are delighted to confirm independent charity Historic Royal Palaces purchased two dresses from the sale of dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales at Kerry Taylor Auctions yesterday.

'The dresses will remain in the UK to become part of our permanent Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, conserving them for future generations and ensuring that visitors to Kensington Palace will be able to see these unique items for years to come.

An employee poses for photographers with the Victor Edelstein evening gown at the Kerry Taylor auction house in London

'The dresses are important examples of the work of two designers the princess chose on many occasions.

'The princess wore the black velvet Bruce Oldfield evening gown in a well-known formal portrait by Lord Snowdon.

'She wore the ivory silk crepe evening gown decorated with pink sequins by Catherine Walker during a state visit to Brazil.

'The two dresses mark the evolution of the princess's style from the romanticism of the mid-1980s to the sleek and sophisticated silhouettes of the early 1990s.'

She added that the charity hoped at least one of the new dresses would go on display in an exhibition at Kensington Palace this summer.

The show will feature dresses worn by the Queen, Princess Margaret and Diana.

Under the hammer: Bidding begins at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London this afternoon

The Fashion Rules exhibition opens on July 4

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Where is the money ultimately going? Apparently they are being sold by an "anonymous seller". Wouldn't Diana's memory be better served if the money raised by the charity went to causes that she supported? - jonopedia, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 15:25 ***************** the money is going to pay off the debts of the private individual who bought the dresses in the original charity auction.

- Liane , East Grinstead, 22/3/2013 01:18

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- xxx , xxx, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 12:36...so you want people to "donate the dresses that they paid hundreds if not thousands of pounds/ dollars for so they can be "given" to the queens"charity" so the palace can make even more profits from a dead woman???...nice...- jonopedia , Glasgow, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 15:25 the seller's named in the original article,also in the one covering the sale... the owner only sold them because she has to settle her debts...not sure why everyone's saying the money should go to charity the lady already made a donation to the charities when she bought them in the first place and has spent a number of years exhibiting them to raise funds for charities / good causes...so don't you think that maybe she's entitled to the profits from the re-sale?

- red-arrow-magnet , london, United Kingdom, 22/3/2013 00:41

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Diana is just as beautiful.

- DancingMullet , New York, United States, 21/3/2013 15:30

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- jonopedia , Glasgow, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 15:25

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I wanted the Bruce Oldfield but was out bid.

- MooTheCow , MooLand, 21/3/2013 12:40

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It would be the most wonderful achievement if all those private owners of Diana's dresses would donate them to Historic Royal Palaces (which is an independent charity, without any UK Government state funding). That way, they could be permanently displayed together at Kensington Palace, London, UK. In my opinion, Diana made a huge contribution to British fashion, was a true style icon and an important figure in British history. They deserve to be all together, as museum quality pieces, and as one collection. I do hope that anybody who owns her dresses, or has any means of conveying this suggestion, will consider donating them. This should also be done before they continue to be dispersed, before any are lost, and so they can be preserved to museum standards. Thank you.

- xxx , xxx, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 12:36

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Still miss Our Princess so much...no one has replaced her or ever will. RIP Diana.

- Reubenene , Victoria, Australia, 21/3/2013 12:05

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Dolly Diamond, Brighton - Well said girl. I agree totally with you too. I also think she would have been a nightmare of a mother in law.

- Not Amused , Portsmouth, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 11:37

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Dolly Diamond, Brighton - I gave you a thumbs up because I totally agree with your comment re Di swanning around Paris with her new boyfirend...

- Carolyn , Cardiff, 21/3/2013 10:05

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In reply to the question "Why did she sell them" ............It was actually William's idea to sell them and donate the money raised to her Charities. The brochure at the auction clearly states that.

- scotsfem , Glasgow, United Kingdom, 21/3/2013 09:31

Click to rate Rating 53

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