USA/FRANCE: Dress worn by Princess Diana expected for sale on eBay

A dress that once belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, is going up for auction on eBay. Three other gowns that were worn by the Princess are on public display and will tour through several U.S. cities. For those who have always wanted to dress like a princess, dreams can come true. A strapless silk chiffon gown that Diana, Princess of Wales, wore to the Cannes Film Festival and to the London opening of Miss Saigon in the late 1980s is up for sale on eBay. This is the second time the gown is up for bids. It was purchased by the WE television network in a 1997 auction at Christie's two months before Diana's death. The auction included 79 gowns hand-picked by the Princess from her personal collection. WE tv purchased three of the gowns, and now as a tribute to Princess Diana, representatives say they are auctioning off the flowing Catherine Walker gown, and donating all the proceeds to America's Promise Alliance, a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged children. Paul Burrell, who was the Princess' butler and has written two books about his time with the Princess of Wales, says he believes the auction of the gown is an "appropriate" way to honor Princess Diana's memory. "All these dresses now are worth a great deal of money. They were worn by a legend, they are part of history," Burrell says of the collection WE tv has amassed. "So this dress eventually will be sold and that money will go to charity. That's what the Princess would have wanted," says Burrell. The gown has been valued at more than 300 thousand (USD) and bids will start at 125 thousand (USD). The remaining three dresses in the WE tv collection will be toured throughout the U.S. later this summer and into the fall.

ITN Source | August 20, 2007

Tags:. .alliance. .always. .amassed. .americas. .appropriate