Princess Diana’s iconic ‘Black Sheep’ jumper sells at auction for US$1.1 million

An iconic red jumper worn by Princess Diana soon after her engagement to then Prince Charles, featuring rows of fluffy little sheep, sold at auction for US$1.1 million following a frenetic bout of final bidding, Sotheby’s announced on Thursday.

The 19-year-old sported the knit garment – which includes one black sheep amid dozens of otherwise white woolly creatures – at a June 1981 polo match during her whirlwind days as a shy royal-in-the-making.

The playfully patterned “Black Sheep” jumper became one of the most emblematic articles of clothing worn by Diana, which in hindsight seems to foretell her troubled journey as a member of the British royal family.

The garment nabbed US$1.1 million – which includes fees and commission – after a fierce battle by internet bidders.

The total was over 10 times more than Sotheby’s initial estimate of between US$50,000 to US$80,000.

Due to an avalanche of bids, the auction house extended the sale by several minutes, with the price leaping astronomically from US$190,000 to US$1.1 million in the final 15 minutes.

According to Sotheby’s, it is the highest price ever paid at auction for a garment belonging to Princess Diana – eclipsing her Infanta-style ball gown sold in January for US$604,800 – as well as the most valuable jumper ever sold at auction.

The jumper was created by then-little-known designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne and their knitting company Warm and Wonderful, which was subsequently catapulted to fame.

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Weeks after Diana was photographed in the top, the designers received a letter explaining that one of the sweater’s sleeves had suffered damage, and asking if it could be repaired or replaced.

The designers sent her a new one and had assumed the original was repaired and sent to a customer, but in March 2023 Osborne found the jumper in a small box in her attic.

In addition to the jumper, the auction included the letter requesting repair, as well as a thank-you note from Diana’s private secretary, Oliver Everett.

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Diana: fashionista who shook up the royal dress code

Diana: fashionista who shook up the royal dress code

Diana was seen wearing the replacement at a June 1983 polo match.

Some 40 years later “Black Sheep” was re-released for sale in 2020 in a collaboration between the fashion brand Rowing Blazers and its original designers, Muir and Osborne.

The jumper was so iconic that it even appeared [via replica] in the fourth season of Netflix drama The Crown, chronicling the House of Windsor’s recent history.