When Diana auctioned off 79 of her dresses for charity in 1997, this Catherine Walker dress was Lot 11, described as "a short cocktail dress of midnight blue and white satin", and fetched $66,300. The auction catalog states that Diana wore it on the Wales' official tour of Japan in 1986, but the only extant photos I can find are from a private charity trip to Hong Kong in the spring of 1995, where she wore it to attend a fund-raising dinner. She also chose it for the tour group photo. (below left) Interestingly, this dress may have missed being much more famous. According to Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, when she was deciding on a dress to wear to the Serpentine Gallery in 1994, on the night Charles was giving his TV interview where he admitted cheating on her with Camilla, one of the dresses originally considered was " a midnight blue cocktail dress, nipped into the waist with a belt, white satin cuffs and tight white collar" ("A Royal Duty", page 209). As all eyes would be on her reaction that evening, she ultimately decided on something with more "wow" factor, and the famous short and sexy black "Revenge" dress made history. (I apologize for the poor quality of the photo on the left, but it's the only one that gives a good look at the handbag - matching blue clutch - and shoes - dark navy or black pumps.

This recreation for the Franklin Mint vinyl People’s Princess doll is in a dark royal blue satin charmeuse (darker than the photographs show, as the fabric is quite lustrous), with white satin charmeuse collar and cuffs. The dark blue buttons with silver glittered rim mimic the blue-and-diamante ones of the original, and run down the front as well as up the cuffs. This dress, which is fully lined in light blue polyester, also features a self-belt with silver glittered buckle and silvered end. Includes a matching clutch bag with a glass bead 'clasp'. Shown with the earrings from the Inspecting the Guard outfit, and shoes and hose from the Princess of Glamour doll.

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