Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' is set to go on display at Sotheby's ahead of auction expected to fetch up to $300,000

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Princess Diana's iconic black silk Christina Stambolian gown — worn on the night Prince Charles publicly admitted adultery in 1994 — is set to go on display at Sotheby's in Mayfair on Friday, with a presale estimate of up to $300,000. Sotheby's global head of fashion Morgane Halimi said Diana chose the figure-hugging off-the-shoulder dress to tell the world she was 'taking back the narrative'. The dress is being auctioned for the first time since Diana sold it in 1997 to raise money for AIDS charities.

After its London showing, the 'revenge dress' will tour Hong Kong, Geneva and New York before the December sale.

The gown's upcoming unveiling comes amid a bitter public row between Buckingham Palace and Diana's brother Earl Spencer, whose book accuses King Charles of saying 'we'll forget her soon enough' days after her death.

The morning after Diana wore it, the headline 'Revenge is chic' ran on front pages — and the dress has become one of the most recognisable outfits in royal history nearly 30 years on.