Vanity Fair’s Portraits of Royalty

She need not say more, for the clothes themselves speak volumes about a life that was both stimulating and frivolous, rewarding and imprisoning. For every diamanté neckline and cleverly embroidered bodice, there must be a tale of woe—a tiff with Charles, a rumble between their opposing camps of courtiers, a frosty standoff with her implacable mother-in-law. Diana’s life has been so well documented, particularly in the years she wore these dresses—1981 to 1996—that some bidders may be tempted to cross-reference the glossy Christie’s catalogue with one of the more salacious Windsor biographies, just to keep things lively.

August 20, 2021 | 7:26 pm