Prince Harry Wants Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge Dress’ to ‘Belong to’ Wife Meghan Markle
Now that the late Princess Diana's iconic "revenge dress" is heading to auction at Sotheby's, one particular person has their eye on taking it home.
A Friday, September 11, report in journalist Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice Substack claims the late royal's son Prince Harry is incredibly fond of his mother's iconic ensemble.
"He doesn't want it disappearing into a collector's closet," a source told Shuter, adding that the Duke of Sussex, 41, "believes it should stay connected to Diana" and "belong to" wife Meghan Markle.
Diana — who was just 36 when she died on August 31, 1997, following a car crash in Paris — was known for her incredible fashion sense and became synonymous with the term "revenge dress."
On June 29, 1994, the royal stepped out for a gala held at the Serpentine Gallery in London wearing a black, fitted, chic, off-the-shoulder dress by designer Christina Stambolian that featured an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train.
According to the Associated Press, she donned the LBD the same night that King Charles III (who is now married to Queen Camilla) acknowledged on television that he had been unfaithful in their marriage.
"Harry sees that dress as a symbol of his mother taking back her power," said Shuter's source. "Diana wore it to clap back at Charles, Camilla and an institution that had made her miserable. In Harry's mind, Meghan understands that story better than almost anyone."
The revealing ensemble was unlike anything usually worn by members of the royal family. Diana quickly made headlines, and on the cover of The Sun, it said: "Revenge is chic: Stunning…Di last night, showing Charles what he's missing."
"To Harry, Meghan wearing or simply owning Diana's revenge dress would be incredibly powerful," said the source. "It would say: Diana survived them, Meghan survived them — and neither woman allowed the Palace to define her."
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Diana auctioned the dress a month before she died, according to The New York Times. It was purchased by a couple from Scotland for around $64,000, and they have owned it ever since.
The piece will tour Sotheby's galleries around the world, beginning in London from September 18 to 24.
It will travel to Hong Kong and Geneva before making its final stop in New York, where it will be auctioned off on December 9. Sotheby's estimates the gown could fetch between $150,000 and $300,000.
