Twenty-six years ago, on July 1st, 1997, Princess Diana celebrated her 36th birthday. This was her last birthday, outside London’s Tate Gallery.
Diana was a vision in an elegant black Chantilly lace gown by her favorite designer, Jacques Azagury, perfectly accessorized with Queen Mary’s diamond and emerald choker and matching earrings.
Azgury Gave the Dress to Princess Diana for Her Birthday
Azagury had gift wrapped and sent Diana’s now iconic dress to Kensington’s Palace for her birthday. Azagury was thrilled that Diana decided to wear one of his dresses.
Princess Diana wrote a formal “Thank You” letter to Jacques. On Princess Diana’s final birthday, she was surrounded by 90 bouquets of beautiful flowers. She listened to Prince Harry and his classmates singing “Happy Birthday” over the phone from Eton.
“The People’s Princess” personally greeted all her guests, who showered her with lavish birthday gifts. Princess Diana’s brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, said:
“Diana could make any person, whether they were the grandest or the most humble, feel totally at ease in her company.”
Princess Diana wrote a formal letter to Azgury that was kept in a vault. Now, the letter and an identical version of Diana’s dress are being auctioned.
When he was designing dresses for the Princess, Azgury would make “twin” dresses in the exact measurements of Diana and kept them under wraps until now.
Azgury is retiring and closing up his shop in London. He is ready to sell the Princess’s memorabilia. The identical copies of Diana’s dresses will be auctioned at Lay’s Auctioneers, Penzance, Cornwall, on December 7th.
Diana’s birthday dress and the letter are said to be worth a pretty penny. The gown serves as a reminder of Diana’s timeless beauty.
Any design associated with the late Princess of Wales is said to be highly desirable these days. Diana’s iconic black sheep sweater sold for just over $1 million in September.
Princess Diana Adored Azgury’s Designs
Jacques Azgury met Princess Diana in 1987 in London. British Vogue editor Ann Harvey introduced the two of them. Harvey said, “Jacques, I have someone I’d like you to meet,” he looked up to see Princess Diana.
Diana adored Azgury’s dresses so much that she excluded them from the auction of her dresses that raised $1.96 million for the Marden Hospital Cancer Fund and AIDS crisis trust.
Some say that Princes Harry and William own Diana’s original dresses, but her “twin” dresses are worth almost as much.
Azgury created a total of 18 dresses for Princess Diana, including the last batch, which he refers to as “The Famous Five.”
The other dresses on auction besides the birthday dress include the red silk column dress she wore to the Red Cross Ball Gala dinner in Washington in June 1997, the ice blue silk shift dress she wore to the Royal Gala Performance of “Swan Lake” in June 1997, and the long black silk dress she wore in New York for the Cancer Research Ball in December 1996.
Princess Diana said to Azgury once about his boutique in London,
“I always come in because I know I’m going to get exactly what I want.”
Those who adored Diana and appreciated her impeccable taste can enjoy Jacques Azgury’s creations on December 7th.
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