NEW YORK – An iconic red sweater worn by Princess Diana shortly after her engagement to then-Prince Charles, featuring rows of fluffy little sheep, sold at auction for more than US$1.1 million (S$1.5 million) following a frenetic bout of final bidding, Sotheby’s announced on Thursday.
The 19-year-old sported the knit garment – which includes one black sheep amid dozens of otherwise white woolly creatures – at a June 1981 polo match during her whirlwind days as a shy royal-in-the-making.
The playfully patterned “Black Sheep” sweater became one of the most emblematic articles of clothing worn by Diana, which in hindsight seems to foretell her troubled journey as a member of the British royal family.
The garment nabbed US$1.1 million – which includes fees and commission – after a fierce battle by Internet bidders.
The total was over 10 times more than Sotheby’s initial estimate of between US$50,000 and US$80,000.
Due to an avalanche of bids, the auction house extended the sale by several minutes, with the price leaping from US$190,000 to US$1.1 million in the final 15 minutes.
According to Sotheby’s, it is the highest price ever paid at auction for a garment belonging to Princess Diana – eclipsing her Infanta-style ball gown sold in January for US$604,000 – as well as the most valuable sweater ever sold at auction.
The sweater was created by then-little-known designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne and their knitting company Warm & Wonderful, which was subsequently catapulted to fame.
Weeks after Diana was photographed in the top, the designers received a letter explaining that one of the sweater’s sleeves had suffered damage, and asking if it could be repaired or replaced.
The designers sent her a new one and had assumed the original was repaired and sent to a customer. But in March 2023, Ms Osborne found the sweater in a small box in her attic.
In addition to the sweater, the auction included the letter requesting the repair, as well as a thank-you note from Diana’s private secretary, Mr Oliver Everett.
The sweater was so iconic that it even appeared – as a replica – in the fourth season of Netflix drama The Crown (2016 to 2023), chronicling the House of Windsor’s recent history. AFP
