Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' is set to be featured in the season 5 of The Crown 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.
- Sneak previews of Princess Diana's revenge dress in The Crown have got royal fans in awe.
- Princess Diana wore the daring dress to an official engagement following her televised admission of adultery by her husband, Prince Charles. Now the moment Diana wore the famous frock is being filmed for portrayal in The Crown.
- In other royal news it's claimed Meghan Markle is ‘rewriting the narrative’ and ‘reminding us that she is a person’ with her podcast, Archetypes.
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.
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, Ireland. The museum's curator, Pauline Doyle, previously told HELLO! 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."
Some photos from the #MuseumOfStyleIcons at Newbridge near Dublin. #PrincessDiana dresses pic.twitter.com/HekRVbw7k1June 14, 2018
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.
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.
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!!!!"
"It's kind of an evolution story, in the sense of watching someone find their centre again." Elizabeth Debicki on playing Princess Diana in The Crown Season 5. pic.twitter.com/HtiTFeiIWpNovember 4, 2022
Does Diana wear the revenge dress in The Crown?
Yes, you can see Elizabeth, who plays the role of Princess Diana, 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.
Fans won't have too long to wait, as Netflix confirmed Season 5 of The Crown will air on 9th November.
Related The Crown features:
- When did Charles and Diana separate and divorce?
- How old was Diana when she got married?
- Who is James Hewitt, is he married and does he have children?
- Where is Hasnat Khan now and why did he leave Princess Diana?
- Was Andrew Morton's Diana book an autobiography and how many copies did it sell?
- Who is Princess Diana’s friend Dr. James Colthurst and who plays him in The Crown?
- Did Charles want the Queen to abdicate?
- Princess Diana's revenge dress
- Windsor Castle fire
- Princess Diana's Panorama interview
- Who was Dodi Fayed's girlfriend before Diana? Introducing Kelly Fisher
- Where was The Crown filmed? Season 1 - 5 filming locations
- Was Diana taller than Charles? Princess Diana's height
- Who plays Diana in The Crown?
- The Crown season 5 trailer
- Where is Martin Bashir now - and why was the Princess Diana interview so controversial?
- How did Princess Diana know Imran Khan, and what happened to him?
- Reliving memories in Netflix’s new season of The Crown will be “incredibly hard" for Prince Harry and Prince William, claims royal expert
- Has Camilla, Queen Consort got children and who are her grandchildren?
- Did the Royal Family watch The Crown?
- What does Prince Harry think of The Crown?
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