Princess Diana's 'Travolta gown' sells at auction for £264,000

Royal dress was estimated to fetch £350,000

The dress Princess Diana wore to a gala dinner at the White House in 1985 has sold at auction for £264,000.

The Princess of Wales wore the midnight blue Victor Edelstein dress to the event which was hosted by then-President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan on 9 November.

The gown featured off-the-shoulder straps, a floor-sweeping velvet skirt, a decorative bow and layers of tulle petticoats.

While the showstopping dress was newsworthy in its own right, it became one of Diana’s most iconic outfits after footage of her dancing with Grease actor John Travolta was seen worldwide.

London-based auction house Kerry Taylor Auctions estimated that the gown would fetch £350,000.

However, bids failed to reach the reserve price of £200,000 at an auction on Monday.

The dress was later sold post-auction to Historic Royal Palaces – an independent charity that manages some of the United Kingdom’s unoccupied royal palaces

“We’re delighted to have acquired this iconic evening gown for the royal ceremonial dress collection – a designated collection of national and international importance – over 20 years since it first left Kensington Palace,” said Eleri Lynn, curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

“Not only is the ‘Travolta’ dress a fantastic example of couture tailoring designed to dazzle on a state occasion, it represents a key moment in the story of 20th-century royal fashion.”

Lynn went on describe the princess as someone who became a “timeless” and “elegant” fashion icon.

The iconic dress was one of Diana’s favourite garments and was worn by her on a number of other occasions, including a state visit to Austria in 1986 and a night at the Royal Opera House in 1991. She also wore it for her portrait by Lord Snowden in 1997.

In June 1997 – just two months before the royal’s death – Diana auctioned off the dress for £100,000 to raise funds for Aids charities.

Florida-based businesswoman Maureen Dunkel purchased the gown and kept it in her possession until it was sold for £240,000 in March 2013.

According to reports, a British man purchased the item as a gift to cheer up his wife.

(Alamy Stock Photo)

In an interview with People magazine in 1985, Travolta revealed that he was invited to the event at the White House by Nancy Reagan, who wanted him to dance with Diana.

“She asked me if I would mind dancing with the princess later in the evening,” Travolta recalled.

“I asked if that was appropriate, and Mrs Reagan smiled and said, ‘Oh yes. It’s one of her wishes. When the music from your movie comes up, if you wouldn’t mind just asking her if she’d care to dance’.”

The actor added that he was impressed with the royal’s dancing abilities, stating that she had “great rhythm”.