Princess Diana's revenge dress: All you need to know ahead of The Crown Season 5

Princess Diana's revenge dress will be in The Crown Season 5 and fans are already losing it over the sneak peek photos they've seen.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana wearing the revenge dress in The Crown on Netflix, split layout with Princess Diana wearing the original revenge dress
(Image credit: Netflix / Getty)
Selina Maycock
By Selina Maycock
last updated

Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' is set to be featured in the season 5 of The Crown (opens in new tab) and fans are losing it over the iconic garment as we look at all you need to know about the outfit ahead of the Netflix new season premiere.

Why is it called the Diana's 'revenge' Dress?

The 'Revenge dress' is the name given to a black off-the-shoulder dress once worn by Diana, Princess of Wales - it had been interpreted as having been worn "in revenge" following the televised admission of adultery by Prince Charles with Camilla Parker-Bowles.

On the same evening in 1994 that Diana wore the outfit to a Vanity Fair dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, Charles admitted in a TV documentary interview with Jonathan Dimbleby that he was having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, who is now his wife.

Princess Diana revenge dress

Where is the revenge dress now?

The revenge dress is said to remain in a bank vault owned by the family of Scottish businessman Graeme Mackenzie and his wife Briege who own the Body Shop franchise in Scotland. They who paid $74,000 (£45,900) for the dress when it was auctioned off at Christie's in 1997. The dress is understood to be removed rarely to be displayed at charity events.

It was originally auctioned off by Princess Diana along with a collection of 79 of her most famous dresses to raise money for charity - just weeks before Princess Diana's fatal car crash. 

"The only noble thing to do was not to use it," Graeme said at the time. "It would have been inappropriate."

The dress has only made less than a dozen appearances in public and raised more than £40,000 for the charity Children 1st, having graced luncheons in Aberdeen, balls in Stirling, evening functions in Elgin and fashion shows at Bo'ness and Edinburgh.

Designer Christina Stambolian later made another exact replica of the dress, which was auctioned off by Kerry Taylor Auctions in 2011. It was made to Diana's sizing (a 34-inch bust and 28-inch waist), and the dress is now on permanent display at the Museum of Style Icons in County Kildare (opens in new tab), Ireland. The museum's curator, Pauline Doyle, previously told HELLO!  (opens in new tab)that the dress is very detailed in person – covered in tiny pleats across the bodice. "It's stunning," she said.

And though the dress gave Diana an incredible shape, there is no structure or boning in the bodice. "It's actually very soft," she added. "It's figure-hugging, and has some stretch to it."

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How much did Diana's revenge dress cost and who created it?

Diana's revenge dress cost £900 and was created by Greek designer Christina Stambolian. The snug-fitting dress, which hit just above the thigh and had an off-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline, had reportedly sat in the Princess of Wales' wardrobe for three years before the event, due to concerns that it may have been "too daring" for royal standards.

But Princess Diana decided to wear the LBD to the gala after her previously planned look, including a Valentino gown, was leaked to the press.

Christina Stambolian, designer of the Princess Diana revenge dress

(Image credit: Getty)

When did Camilla wear the revenge dress?

Camilla wore a similar revenge dress to Princess Diana's in 1995 - a year after the Princess' dress made headlines around the world - when she was photographed at London's Ritz Hotel wearing a shoulder-baring black dress similar to Diana’s when she stepped out in public with Charles for the first time. Her outfit choice caused a stir among fans at the time as she wore black pantyhose, high heels, and a nearly identical pearl necklace to that worn by Diana a year earlier and a number of angry fans accused the Prince's then girlfriend of trying to copy his first wife.

That night the future duchess and Charles were attending the 50th birthday party of Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot.

Prince Charles arriving at the Ritz in 1995 and split layout with Camilla arriving at the Ritz wearing a copy of Princess Diana's revenge dress

(Image credit: Getty)

Is the revenge dress in The Crown?

Yes, the revenge dress is featured in The Crown and is just one of Princess Diana's many iconic outfits to appear. After seeing the behind the scenes snaps, fans of The Crown took to social media in amazement.

"The Crown have captured Princess Diana's revenge dress moment perfectly their resemblance is uncanny," one wrote. 

Another fan put, "Princess Diana's revenge dress will be featured in The Crown Season 5 our prayers have been answered."

And a third agreed, "Holy—! The similarities to the real revenge dress and the real Princess Diana! Damn, that’s good!!!!"

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Does Diana wear the revenge dress in The Crown?

Yes, you can see Elizabeth, who plays the role of Princess Diana (opens in new tab), wearing a recreation of the £900 revenge dress. The actress looks strikingly similar to the one originally worn by the Princess as she filmed scenes for the Netflix drama in a replica of the silk crepe cocktail dress with side sash.

A post shared by Elizabeth Debicki (@elizabethdebickinators) (opens in new tab)

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Fans won't have too long to wait, as Netflix confirmed Season 5 of The Crown will air on 9th November.

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Selina Maycock
Selina Maycock
Senior Entertainment Writer

Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer with more than 14 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently looks after all things Entertainment for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories. 

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