Princess Diana’s black silk revenge dress will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York on December 9, 2026. The auction house estimates the garment will fetch between US$ 150,000 and US$ 300,000, equivalent to £ 110,000 to £ 220,000, as part of its Luxury Week sale.
The lot also includes an original copy of the 1997 Christie’s charity auction catalog signed jointly by Diana Spencer and Greek designer Christina Stambolian, featuring an annotation that credits Prince William with the original idea of selling his mother’s formal wardrobe to raise humanitarian funds.
Christina Stambolian design made fashion history at Serpentine Gallery
Diana bought the off-the-shoulder silk dress from Stambolian in 1991, but kept it stored away for three years because she initially considered its form-fitting cut too daring under British royal protocol, which historically discouraged wearing black clothing outside of official mourning periods. On June 29, 1994, Diana originally planned to wear a design created by the fashion house Valentino to a fundraising gala at the Serpentine Gallery in London. She made a last-minute decision to change into the Stambolian gown after television channels broadcast an interview in which the then Prince Charles publicly admitted to committing adultery during their marriage.
Check out: Diana’s legendary ‘revenge dress’ to be auctioned, an emblem of defiance and style
Morgane Halimi, global head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby’s, pointed to the cultural turning point created by the public appearance: “It occupies a unique place in fashion history because it represents one of those very rare moments when a garment transcends fashion to become part of culture history.”
Scottish collector Briege Mackenzie consigns the 1994 gown
The dress remained in private hands across three decades after Scottish businessman Graeme Mackenzie and his wife, Briege Mackenzie, purchased it for £ 39,098 during the Christie’s charity auction in New York on June 25, 1997. Following Graeme’s death, Briege decided to place the historic piece back on the market, describing the sale as the natural conclusion to an important chapter in her family’s life.
“My late husband and I knew that this dress was something special. Bidding at auction and winning it was one of the great days of our life together. With him gone, that chapter has closed, and so should this one,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie also commented on the significance of Diana’s appearance on that evening: “Princess Diana was walking into the worst night of her life and you would never know it to look at her. It went from a cocktail dress to a statement in the time it took to photograph her.”
Princess Diana dress milestones from 1991 to 2026
Before heading to the live sale in Manhattan, the gown traveled through an international preview circuit that began during London Fashion Week and included stops in Hong Kong and Geneva.
- 1991 — Princess Diana purchases the black silk dress created by Greek designer Christina Stambolian.
- June 29, 1994 — Diana wears the garment at the Serpentine Gallery in London on the evening of Charles’s televised confession.
- June 25, 1997 — The dress is sold for £ 39,098 to Graeme and Briege Mackenzie during a 79-dress charity auction at Christie’s in New York.
- September 18, 2026 — Public exhibition opens at Sotheby’s in London, running through September 24.
- December 2, 2026 — The dress goes on public display at the Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York.
- December 9, 2026 — The garment is offered at the Sotheby’s live auction in New York.
Charity allocation and royal memorabilia records at Sotheby’s
Historical garments worn by Diana Spencer continue to command high valuations at international auctions. In September 2023, Sotheby’s sold Diana’s sheep sweater for US$ 1.1 million, setting an auction record for items from the late Princess of Wales’s personal wardrobe.
A portion of the hammer proceeds from the December sale will be transferred to the British charity NHS Lothian Charity to support the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland. The exact percentage of the final sale price assigned to the medical facility has not been publicly released by the auction house or the consignor.
The public exhibition of the dress at the Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York opens on December 2, 2026, one week before the live bidding begins on December 9, 2026.