IT WAS gown sale of the century - the chance to buy a dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and it shot off to a spectacular start in New York early today, hitting the $2 million dollar mark (£1.3 million sterling) sterling after 50 lots.
Bidding got under way briskly in the long awaited charity sale with lot 1, a white sari style silk chiffon evening gown, by Gina Fratini for Hartnell selling for a staggering £50,000. The asking price started at £3,000 and moved quickly to £12,000 in leaps of £600. Bids then jumped to £42,000, then up to the final £50,000, amid gasps from the audience.
The atmosphere was electric as 1,100 people crowded into the auction room on fashionable Park Avenue. It was the start of the nearly new sale of the century with 79 dresses owned by the most famous woman in the world up for sale in aid of charity.
New York is alive with rumours that a group, including transvestite TV cabaret star Ru Paul, are pooling their resources to bid for one or more of the gowns.
Bidding for lot 2 - a black silk crepe cocktail dress by Christina Stambolian - was equally frantic and soon reached £30,000, climbing to a final £42,000. This was the "little black number" the princess wore to a reception in 1995 on the night her husband, interviewed on, television, admitted adultery.
Bidding fell off after an impressive start, but the total raised after 40 lots exceeded £1 million.
The Mirror newspaper said it had bought a fuchsia and purple silk chiffon ball dress by Catherine Walker for £25,263. It was worn by the princess on a visit to Thailand in 1988 and will be offered to readers in a competition.
. Princess Diana yesterday cancelled a meeting at the House of Commons with campaigners for a global ban on landmines, complaining that political controversy over her involvement made it "untenable" to attend.
She had been invited to a private meeting of the all party Landmines Eradication Group, which regarded her agreement to visit the Commons as a boost for its campaign, but it ran into criticism from some members of the Conservative Party who said she risked contravening an unwritten rule that members of the royal family must not intervene in political issues.