A black dress worn by Princess Diana on June 29, 1994, is set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s. This was the day her estranged husband, then-Prince Charles, admitted to infidelity in a televised interview. The dress, known as the “revenge dress,” was designed by Greek fashion designer Christina Stambolian and worn by Diana at a gala at London’s Serpentine Gallery. The garment will be displayed in an international exhibition, starting in London through September 24, then moving to Hong Kong and Geneva before its sale in New York on December 9. Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, said Diana chose the “beautiful and powerful outfit” as a way to reclaim her narrative. “She always used fashion as a form of expression, but this time it was a way to communicate her personal feelings,” Halimi explained. “It was a statement that she was taking control of the story and standing for herself.” The iconic image of Diana in the dress, along with a sapphire necklace, black pumps, and bright red nail polish, became widely circulated. The Sun tabloid featured the image on its front page the next day with the headline “Revenge is chic.” In a public interview the following year, Diana acknowledged her own extramarital affair, saying, “there were three of us in this marriage,” a reference to Charles and his lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles, now Queen Camilla. Diana and Charles divorced in 1996, a year before Diana died in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36. The dress is being auctioned for the first time since 1997, when Diana sold it and other garments to raise money for AIDS charities. It has a presale estimate of $150,000 to $300,000, but Sotheby’s experts believe it could exceed that price. A red sweater Diana wore to a polo match in 1981 sold for $1.1 million in 2023, far above its estimate and setting a record for royal memorabilia. Halimi believes this dress is the most powerful item linked to Diana, saying, “The story of this dress and the universal message it brings will attract both institutions and private collectors.” Diana was a global style icon and one of the most photographed women in the world. Her influence continues today, and public interest in the dramatic end of her marriage to the now King Charles III remains high. A new book by Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has reignited a public feud between the Spencers and the royal family over how the princess was treated during her lifetime.