 at an auction by Sotheby's in New York. Bidding opened 31 August, and the top bid stayed under $200,000 (£161,000) until the auction's final minutes. Sotheby's had estimated the value of the "sheep jumper" at $50,000 to $80,000 (£40,300 to £64,500). It did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder. The simple piece of knitwear, which was unearthed in an attic in March, commanded a higher price than many other objects tied to the "People's Princess" that were sold at auctions in recent years. Diana's car, a Ford Escort, may be the closest, going for $806,000 (£650,000) in 2022. The amethyst-bedecked Attallah Cross that Diana frequently wore was sold to reality star Kim Kardashian for roughly one-fifth of the sweater's amount - $203,000 (£163,800) - at an auction in January. Image caption, Diana was first photographed wearing the sweater one month before her wedding The sweater's design is often described as symbolic of Diana's place within the royal family. But fashion historians believe Diana was not sending a message, as she may have done in later years with her famous "revenge dress", when she wore the sweater in 1981, a month before her wedding to then Prince Charles. Instead, many say Diana was simply sporting the "Sloane Ranger" style she helped popularise. In the era before social-media influencers, newspaper photos of Diana in the sweater gave its maker, Warm and Wonderful knitwear, a "stratospheric launch" and inspired copycat designs, according to Sotheby's. Shortly after her marriage, Buckingham Palace wrote to Warm and Wonderful that the sweater had been damaged and sought a repair or replacement. Princess Diana then wore the replacement to another polo match in 1983. Sotheby's included the letter to Warm and Wonderful as well as a){kind=link}
Princess Diana’s sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones has sold for $1.14 million (£920,000) at an auction by Sotheby’s in New York.
Bidding opened 31 August, and the top bid stayed under $200,000 (£161,000) until the auction’s final minutes.
Sotheby’s had estimated the value of the “sheep jumper” at $50,000 to $80,000 (£40,300 to £64,500).
It did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder.
The simple piece of knitwear, which was unearthed in an attic in March, commanded a higher price than many other objects tied to the “People’s Princess” that were sold at auctions in recent years.