Month: December 2013
Princess Diana and Prince Harry Christmas Day 1994, Sandringham
Princess Diana and Prince William Christmas 1986
FAIRYTALE WHITE AND GOLD GOWN SELLS TO OVERSEAS MUSEUM
Princess Diana’s ‘fairytale’ gold and white dress that she wore to James Bond premiere sells for £100,000 to unknown buyer
- Ornate gold and white gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel
- Princess Diana wore it at The Living Daylights premiere in London in 1987
- She originally saw the dress at a Red Cross benefit fashion show in 1986
- A museum based overseas bought the dress despite much US interest
A ‘fairytale’ dress that once belonged to Princess Diana has sold for more than £100,000 at auction.
The ornate gold and white gown, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, features sequins, crystals and pearl beads and was worn by Diana on several occasions, including the premiere of James Bond film The Living Daylights.
It was sold by Kerry Taylor Auctions in London for £102,000, including buyer’s premium, having been estimated to reach between £50,000 and £80,000.
There was a huge amount of interest from the US but a museum based in another overseas country made the successful bid.
Fairytale: The ornate gown, right, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, worn by the Princess of Wales in 1986, left, sold at Kerry Taylor Auctions in south London.
Kerry Taylor said: ‘This is the 11th Princess Diana dress that I have sold this year, and I feel very lucky and privileged.
‘It is a beautiful dress, worn by a beautiful woman, and deserved to do well.’
The auctioneer described the dress as having a ‘pretty, fairytale princess feel to it’ and added that the dress’s current owner ‘is pleased that the gown will be preserved for others to enjoy in years to come’.
It is not yet known where the gown’s new home will be.
Expensive: The dress was expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 at auction, but went for more than £100,000
Diana first saw the dress at a Red Cross benefit fashion show in summer 1986, and rather than having it specially commissioned from the designers, she was happy to take the standard size 10 dress from the show.
She wore it at a banquet at the German ambassador’s residence in London in July 1986, and to the Royal Opera House for a performance of Ivan The Terrible by the Bolshoi Ballet later the same month, as well as to the film premiere in Leicester Square the following year.
The dress was part of the Emanuels’ Diaghilev collection, which was inspired by Leon Bakst’s geometric designs for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
According to the auctioneer, Elizabeth Emanuel said that because of its lavish decoration and striking gold and white colours, the dress was something that people would either love or hate and she remembered that the Princess told her she ‘loved it’.
Her former husband David is currently on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! on ITV.
The Emanuels were a fashion favourite of the Princess and they made special ensembles and evening gowns for Diana’s overseas tours with the Prince of Wales, as well as producing maternity wear for her.
DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE STEPS OUT IN A DIAMOND TIARA
It is the largest – and one of the most glittering – annual receptions the monarch holds at Buckingham Palace.
Little wonder, then, that the Duchess of Cambridge was determined to shine.
Arriving at tonight’s Diplomatic Reception in a chauffeur-driven Bentley, Kate sported in public for the first time since her wedding a dazzling tiara, believed to have been loaned to her by the Queen.
Regal: The Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a diplomatic reception this evening at Buckingham Palace wearing a tiara
All dressed up: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are seen leaving Kensington Palace earlier tonight
With her long, dark locks swept back in a half-up half-down hairstyle to show off the delicate diamonds to their best advantage, the Duchess, 31, looked more regal than ever.
The Duchess was wearing a bespoke evening gown by Alexander McQueen.
Last night Kensington Palace confirmed that the tiara had belonged to Princess Margaret
It is a particularly delicate diamond tiara of fanned motifs crowned by floating diamond arches and studded with two pearls at the base and a central top pearl.
It was made from one of her wedding gifts, a necklace of a Greek key pattern with pendant diamonds and pearls given by her husband, the future George VI. Garrard dismantled it and created a tiara instead.
Glittering: The stunning tiara is thought to have belonged to the Queen Mother
Big occasion: It is thought to be the first time the Duchess has been seen wearing a tiara since the Royal wedding in 2011
The Queen Mother often wore it as a young woman before handing it down to her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret, who also loaned it to Serena Stanhope for her wedding to Margaret’s son Viscount Linley.
Although Prince William and his wife have studiously avoided attending any state banquets since their wedding (when a tiara is obligatory), claiming they are left to senior working royals, tonight’s reception was something of a three-line whip.
There are 172 Foreign Missions currently accredited to the Court of St James’s in London, because St. James’s Palace is still the senior palace and official residence of the Sovereign.
Each year the Queen throws a lavish reception in their honour, where members of the royal family make a point of meeting and greeting each one.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2517729/The-Diamond-Duchess-Kate-wears-glittering-tiara-white-tie-ball-Buckingham-Palace.html#ixzz2mS52mtV0
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