A vibrant red sweater adorned with a charming flock of sheep, once worn by the youthful Princess Diana, has achieved a staggering sale price of $1.1 million at auction, shattering previous estimates and setting a new record for a late royal’s possession.
This whimsically patterned wool jumper, featuring a lone black sheep amid a sea of white ones, found its new owner through an anonymous bidder participating in Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale.
Sotheby’s had initially valued the sweater at a modest range of $50,000 to $80,000 ahead of the two-week bidding process, which concluded on Thursday. With just 15 minutes remaining before the gavel fell, the highest offer stood at $190,000, but a final burst of bids catapulted the final sale price to an astonishing $1.1 million.
This remarkable achievement surpassed the previous record for Diana memorabilia, held at $604,800 for a Victor Edelstein-designed ballgown sold by Sotheby’s in January.
Moreover, the sale obliterated the existing auction record for a sweater, which was set at $334,000 in 2019 for Kurt Cobain’s green cardigan from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert.
The iconic moment captured the 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer donning the eye-catching sheep-themed garment at a polo match in June 1981, shortly after her engagement to Prince Charles, the then-heir to the British throne.
Diana was already emerging as a style icon and one of the world’s most photographed women, significantly boosting the profile of designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, creators of the sweater for their knitwear label, Warm & Wonderful.
A few weeks later, Muir and Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace, explaining that Diana had accidentally damaged the sweater and inquiring if it could be repaired or replaced. The original sweater, with damage to a sleeve, was returned, possibly caused by snagging on Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring.
A new sweater was promptly knitted and sent to the princess, who was later photographed wearing it with white jeans and a black ribbon tie at an event in 1983. Remarkably, Osborne stumbled upon the original sweater, forgotten in an attic, earlier this year.
Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, divorced Prince Charles in 1996. Tragically, she lost her life in a car accident in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36.
Some have speculated that Princess Diana was drawn to the “black sheep” pattern as it symbolized her feeling like an outsider within the royal family. This iconic sweater was even recreated by Emma Corrin as she portrayed the young Diana in season four of “The Crown.”
Muir and Osborne, who still offer a version of this beloved design, expressed their gratitude, stating, “We are thrilled that this cherished sweater has now found a new home, carrying with it the enduring legacy of Princess Diana.”
