The Crown, the replica of Lady D’s revenge dress goes up for auction

With the definitive end of The CrownAlso the faithful replica of Lady Diana’s revenge dress is preparing to leave the archives of the TV series forever. Bonhams, the famous international auction house founded in 1793, has announced its presence among the 450 objects from the set that will go up for auction next February 2024 in London.

Commissioned by Left Bank Pictures (which produced the series together with Sony Pictures Television), the auction The Crown it was called with the same name as the television series directed by Peter Morgan and will be an extraordinary opportunity for wealthy buyers. The event will bring around three hundred lots under the spotlight, presented in two phases: among props, costumes and furniture, cinema and fashion enthusiasts will also be able to grab The revenge dress that actress Elizabeth Debicki – cinematic alter-ego of the sad princess – she wore in the fifth episode of the fifth season.

A cinematic moment that evoked all the strength of one of Lady Diana’s most irreverent and metaphorically significant looks: for the replica dress, Bonhams estimates it will fetch between 8 thousand and 12 thousand pounds. A price between 500 and 700 pounds is estimated for the gray Harvard sweatshirt always worn by Elizabeth Debicki in the series.

The auction is scheduled for February 7 at the Bonhams headquarters on New Bond Street in London, but it will also be possible to chase the highest bid online from January 30th on the auction house website. Meanwhile, four previews will present the various lots in four cities around the world: New York (from November 27 to December 1), Los Angeles (from December 4 to 8), Paris (from December 11 to 15) and London ( from January 11th to February 5th).

Also interesting is the noble purpose with which the auction was conceived: the proceeds will allow the establishment of a twenty-year scholarship – called The Crownprecisely – to support the most deserving students in their academic career at National Film and Television School of the United Kingdom. As Andy Harries, Chief Executive of Left Bank Pictures and Executive Producer of the TV series, explained in the official press release: «The NFTS has been part of the history of The Crown from the beginning: Over the years, many of its graduates have contributed to the show’s production. I have long admired the school’s ethos and curriculum, which I personally support. I’m excited that, in the coming decades, the legacy of The Crown will be able to provide valid financial support to many NFTS students.”

The good news doesn’t end there. The revenge dress will not be the only stage costume featured in the auction. The sixth season of The Crown – of which the last six episodes will be available on Netflix starting from December 14th – brought under the magnifying glass even the swimsuits that Lady D wore during the summer of 1997 on holiday with Dodi Al-Fayed in St Tropez. In particular, Bonhams will auction the replica of the leopard print one-piece swimsuit sported on set by Elizabeth Debicki. This too, as the series suggests, would have its own momentum media: in The Crown we see the photos of Diana in costume steal the cover headlines at the party held by Carlo in honor of Camilla’s fiftieth birthday. For the latter, an amount between 800 and 1200 pounds is expected.

For those who have followed The Crown since its debut in 2016, the auction will also include the replica of Lady Diana’s legendary engagement ring, or the imposing blue sapphire worn on her left ring finger by Emma Corrin in the fourth season (the original today belongs to Kate Middleton, and is the ring with which William asked for her hand). Estimated price for the replica: between 2 thousand and 3 thousand pounds. Also from episode 3 of the fourth season it comes the replica of the famous blue suit that Diana purchased from Harrods. Emma Corrin wore it to replicate the moment of her engagement announcement, and the expected value varies between £1,500 and £2,000.

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Surprisingly, the replica Revenge Dress will not be the most expensive dress in the auction. Bonhams estimates that a total cap of around £30,000 will be reached per the cloak, the stole and the imperial dress with which the actress Claire Foy he recreated for the small screen the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. Who offers more? We’ll see.