A red sweater worn by a young Princess Diana featuring a single black sheep among rows of woolly white sheep has sold at auction for more than $1.1m, following a frenetic bout of final online bidding, the Sotheby’s auction house has announced.
Worn by 19-year-old Diana shortly after her engagement to then-Prince Charles at a June 1981 polo match in which the prince participated, the whimsically themed “Black Sheep” sweater became one of the most emblematic articles of clothing worn by the princess-to-be.
In hindsight, the garment appeared to hint at Diana’s troubled journey ahead as a member of the United Kingdom’s royal family.
The sweater was sold by Sotheby’s for $1.1m – including fees and commission – after a fierce battle by internet bidders – 10 times more than the initial selling estimate of between $50,000 to $80,000, the auction house said on Thursday.
Due to an avalanche of bids, Sotheby’s extended the sale by several minutes, with the price leaping from $190,000 to $1.1m in the final 15 minutes.
The auctioneers did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder.
Worn by 19-year-old Diana shortly after her engagement to then-Prince Charles at a June 1981 polo match in which the prince participated, the whimsically themed “Black Sheep” sweater became one of the most emblematic articles of clothing worn by the princess-to-be.
In hindsight, the garment appeared to hint at Diana’s troubled journey ahead as a member of the United Kingdom’s royal family.
The sweater was sold by Sotheby’s for $1.1m – including fees and commission – after a fierce battle by internet bidders – 10 times more than the initial selling estimate of between $50,000 to $80,000, the auction house said on Thursday.
Due to an avalanche of bids, Sotheby’s extended the sale by several minutes, with the price leaping from $190,000 to $1.1m in the final 15 minutes.
The auctioneers did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder.
