Princess Diana's Jaguar from which she emerged in 'revenge dress' goes on sale for £100,000

Published: 15:15, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 15:22, 29 May 2026 Princess Diana's prized Jaguar which she famously emerged from wearing her 'revenge dress' 32 years ago is tipped to sell for £100,000. The princess arrived at the Vanity Fair dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens on June 29, 1994, in the then brand new green Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign. Jaws dropped as she exited the vehicle wearing an off-the-shoulder black evening gown designed by Christina Stambolian. The statement dress was said to be her public rebuke to Prince Charles after he admitted committing adultery in a TV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. Princess Diana wore the famous 'revenge dress', knowing in advance that Prince Charles would publicly admit to his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles during a television interview broadcast that same evening.  Diana made regular use of the Jaguar between March 1994 and February 1997, when it left the royal fleet and was acquired by the vendor. She was also photographed in it arriving at the Royal School for the Blind in Leatherhead, Surrey, in January 1995, and departing from luxury Brown's Hotel in Mayfair in January 1996. The four-litre vehicle, with 45,000 miles on the clock, has been preserved in a heated garage for decades and is virtually unused since 2014. Princess Diana arriving at the Serpentine Gallery, London, in a gown by Christina Stambolian The car that Princess Diana emerged from in her 'revenge dress' hours after Prince Charles went public with his affair Relics of its royal use include a discreet button marked 'security' in the central armrest storage cubby. The car, which has a beige leather upholstery interior and comes with its original service book, is expected to spark a bidding war at car auctioneers The Market, of south Oxfordshire. Mark Livesey, chief executive of The Market said: 'Diana was transported all around London and the UK in this Jaguar and famously popped out of it wearing the black revenge dress after Charles had made a confession to the media earlier that day. 'The dress was a loud and proud rebuke to her husband. 'Jaguar provided cars to the Royal Family for a very long time and they produced, and continue to produce, very high quality cars. 'This car was in regular and frequent use from when it was delivered new by Jaguar to Diana's household as part of the royal fleet in March 1994. 'Among many other filmed and photographed instances of Diana with this car, there are images of her arriving at the Royal School for the Blind in Leatherhead in January 1995, and footage of her arriving at and departing from Brown's Hotel in January 1996. Princess Diana's new chauffeur drives her In her Jaguar from a lunch given by the Association Of American Correspondents at Brown's hotel In 1997, Diana sold the dress as part of a Christie’s charity auction of 79 gowns. It was bought for £39,098 by Scottish business owners Graeme and Briege Mackenzie 'With the royal fleet as the car's one and only former keeper, the vendor bought the car in February 1997, just six months before Diana's tragic death in Paris. 'The vehicle's value without provenance would be worth £5,000 or £6,000, but with the royal provenance it is really difficult to gauge it. 'To have, or even own, something that belonged to Diana definitely adds an enormous value. 'We previously sold the Queen's Daimler for £105,000 so hopefully this can do similar.' The black off-the-shoulder gown had been designed by Stambolian and had remained unworn in Diana's wardrobe for three years because she initially feared it was too provocative and revealing for a royal appearance.  The dress featured a sweetheart neckline, ruched bodice, asymmetric hemline and a sash detail falling from the waist.  Diana paired the outfit with sheer tights, stilettos and a sapphire-and-pearl choker necklace that incorporated a brooch originally given to her by the Queen Mother.  The outfit broke several royal conventions because royals traditionally wore black only for mourning, while the dress's short, form-fitting style and Diana's bright red nail polish were also considered unusually daring for a royal gala appearance.  Stambolian said Diana initially wanted the dress to be longer, less revealing and made in cream rather than black, but eventually agreed to the more daring design after discussions with the designer and her brother.  Royal commentator Tina Brown later described the outfit as Diana's 'f***-you dress' in her book The Diana Chronicles, while newspaper headlines at the time declared: 'Charles blusters as Diana dazzles.'  The car, which has a beige leather upholstery interior and comes with its original service book Diana made regular use of the Jaguar between March 1994 and February 1997 The dress itself later became a valuable cultural artefact. In 1997, Diana sold it as part of a Christie's charity auction of 79 gowns.  It was bought for £39,098 by Scottish business owners Graeme and Briege Mackenzie, who used it to help raise money for children's charities.  The dress has since been displayed in museum exhibitions, including Diana: A Fashion Legacy at the Museum of Style in Newbridge, County Kildare, where it was described as the exhibition's most important item  The gown reportedly took two dressmakers more than 60 hours to complete.  Diana died in a Paris car crash aged 36 in August 1997. The online auction begins on June 1. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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