Few outfits have secured a spot in royal historical past fairly just like the black silk Christina Stambolian gown worn by Princess Diana on the night time Prince Charles publicly acknowledged his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Dubbed the “Revenge Costume” after Diana’s placing look eclipsed her husband’s tv confession, the robe turned one of many headline items on the eagerly awaited public sale of her garments at Christie’s in New York in June 1997.
But for nearly three a long time, the gown remained out of sight. It had been bought for £44,511 by Scottish businessman Graeme Mackenzie and his spouse, Briege, who owned the Physique Store franchise in Scotland.
Now set to return to the public sale block at Sotheby’s subsequent month, with an estimated worth of £150,000 to £300,000, the gown has a hidden historical past. The couple’s son, Euan, says his father misled the BBC—and the general public—by suggesting it was being saved in a financial institution vault.
“That was a decoy,” he stated. “The gown was hidden in plain sight in our home the complete time. Everybody who visited walked straight previous it with out realising it was sitting there, simply ten toes away.
“It was saved in my grandfather’s camphorwood chest. It was the proper place to retailer it as a result of camphorwood releases an aroma that repels moths, bugs and different pests.”
Euan nonetheless clearly remembers discovering that his mother and father had purchased the well-known robe. He had not too long ago left Merchiston Fortress College in Edinburgh and was working on the Showcase Cinema in Glasgow, the place the household lived.
“The doorbell rang and it was surreal,” stated Euan, 47, now a district councillor and actual property agent residing in Hokitika, on New Zealand’s South Island. “It was like a scene from Notting Hill.
“I opened the door and there have been cameras flashing and microphones in all places. I used to be standing there in a horrible maroon cardigan and a clip-on tie with ‘Showcase Cinemas’ written on it.”
Princess Diana carrying the “Revenge Costume” in 1994. The Christina Stambolian robe was among the many star sights on the extremely anticipated public sale of Diana’s attire at Christie’s in New York in June 1997
The Revenge Costume is being exhibited on the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva throughout Sotheby’s Luxurious Week earlier than shifting to Sotheby’s Paris Galleries from November 19 to 23
Till then, Euan had no thought his mother and father have been contemplating a purchase order. “Once they heard the attire have been going to be auctioned, they utilized for one of many leather-bound catalogues and obtained it as a souvenir,” he stated.
“As they seemed by it, they will need to have shaped a plan and determined to strive bidding. They visited the room the place all of the attire have been displayed and ultimately spoke with Christina Stambolian.
“Then the doorways closed, Princess Diana walked in and approached my mother and father to ask whether or not they have been serious about any of the attire. My dad stated, ‘Sure, we’re serious about that one behind you, Ma’am,’ and pointed to the robe.
“She circled and noticed it was lot two—the little black gown. She advised my dad, ‘Everyone loves that gown.’ That probability assembly with Diana persuaded my mother and father to pursue lot two in earnest. They booked flights to New York and attended the public sale.”
After securing the gown, Euan’s mother and father took it round Scotland to boost cash for charity. They wrote to Diana to inform her they’d purchased it, and she or he replied to congratulate them. Two months later, Diana died, and the household positioned the robe contained in the camphorwood chest.
The gown is being bought solely now, following Graeme’s dying final March from Alzheimer’s illness and vascular dementia. His widow plans to donate a part of the proceeds to NHS Lothian Charity, supporting the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, the place he obtained care.
She might be staying with Euan in New Zealand when the gown is auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York on December 9. “It’s just too painful to carry on to one thing they loved collectively,” he stated.
The Revenge Costume is at the moment on show on the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva as a part of Sotheby’s Luxurious Week. It is going to then be exhibited at Sotheby’s Paris Galleries from November 19 to 23.
