One of the dresses worn by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s bridesmaids is going up for auction.
Lady Elizabeth Longman, who died in 2016 aged 92, was one of the royal couple’s eight bridesmaids and a lifelong friend of the late queen, wore the white tulle dress at the Abbey wedding ceremony. of Westminster on November 20, 1947, which is now being set. Sale by Christie’s.
The dress, which is expected to cost between £30,000 and £50,000, was later worn by Kate Moss when the supermodel was doing a photoshoot at a stately home where Lady Elizabeth was staying.
With a Bardot neckline, gathered silk bodice and flowing tulle skirt adorned with flowers, the elegant dress remains in almost perfect condition despite the passage of time.
speaking to The TelegraphChristie’s Benedict Winter described the 76-year-old dress as “in incredibly good condition.”
Lady Elizabeth Longman, née Lambart, (back row, second from right) was one of eight bridesmaids to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when they married in 1947. The white tulle bridesmaid dresses They featured a Bardot neckline, a gathered silk bodice, and a flowing tulle skirt adorned with flowers.
Winter, who looks after the auction house’s private collections, added: “The dress has been much loved and the family feels it is time to gift it to a wider public.”
Lady Elizabeth was staying at Houghton Hall in 2012 at the same time Kate was there for a photo shoot for British style magazine Love.
Although several photographs from the shoot were published in an issue of Love, including one of Lady Elizabeth, then 87, in all her finery, the image of a radiant Kate in a bridesmaid’s dress was repressed.
The never-before-seen image of Kate and Lady Elizabeth has been released to support the sale of the dress, which will go up for auction on July 2 in The Exceptional Sale at Christie’s.
Reflecting on the experience, Kate said: “Meeting Lady Elizabeth and wearing her dress, which had such a wonderful heritage, was a magical moment for me. I felt like she was wearing a piece of history.’
Prior to the sale, it will be on public display at the auction house’s London premises.
The dress is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000, and is likely to attract a lot of interest from both UK and international bidders. Those who want to wear it will need supermodel proportions, with a waist of just 24 inches.
Winter added: “Christie’s is privileged to offer this evocative and rare example of royal fashion history.”
Supermodel Kate Moss (pictured May 2024) had the chance to try on Lady Elizabeth’s bridesmaid dress in 2012 when she was doing a photo shoot at Houghton Hall for Love magazine.
He added: “I love photography because it’s the old world meeting the new world. Kate is wearing an extraordinary piece of history.”
It comes as several looks of the late Princess Diana, including a Catherine Walker skirt suit and a Philip Somerville-designed hat, are also set to go up for auction.
Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions will first tour the garments in an exhibition, before selling them at the Museum of Style Icons in Ireland.
Some of Diana’s most famous and eye-catching outfits – for example, a Murray Arbeid dress worn twice in 1986, first to the Phantom of the Opera premiere and then to a dinner at Claridge’s for King Constantine of Greece – will be on sale. the sale.
Diana also wore the dress when Lord Snowdon photographed her in 1997 before a Christie’s charity auction. It has an estimate of $200,000 – $400,000.
Also on offer is a pair of bright green satin evening pumps by Kurt Geiger, which the royal wore to a state banquet at the Dorchester Hotel in 1993, and which could fetch $2,000 to $4,000.
Similarly, there is an estimate of between $200,000 and $400,000 for a Victor Edelstein lace evening dress worn by the princess in Germany in 1987.
The late Princess Diana’s Murray Arbeid dress, which she wore twice in 1986, will be auctioned on June 27
A wide-brimmed, multicolored hat worn by Diana during her 1985 Australian Royal Tour is expected to attract bids of between $10,000 and $20,000.
A portion of the auction proceeds will go to Muscular Dyscracy UK, the leading charity for those living with one of over 60 conditions that waste and weaken muscles.
Julien’s Auctions said: “Diana may have been a princess, but her appeal rivaled that of a Hollywood star.
“Although she did not leave behind any films, her legacy lives on through the exquisite dresses and accessories that continue to captivate audiences, inviting them to delve deeper into her enigmatic personality.”
