Kim Kardashian now owns one of Princess Diana’s valuable jewels.
The “Kardashians” star paid $197,453 for the Princess of Wales’ amethyst and diamond Attallah Cross, according to Sotheby’s London on Jan. 18. Diana wore it to a charity gala in London on October 27, 1987.
Diana wore a purple velvet Catherine Walker gown with the crucifix suspended on a pearl necklace for the occasion. There were four bidders hoping to get their hands on the cross, with Kardashian winning it “at more than double its pre-auction estimate,” according to Sotheby’s London.
Garrard, a close friend of the late royal, designed the Attallah cross in the 1920s. Garrard also created Diana’s famous sapphire engagement ring, which now belongs to the new Princess of Wales, the former Kate Middleton.
Diana wore the cross several times over the years. According to the auction house, it is “understood that the cross was only ever worn by the Princess, and following her death, it was never seen in public again until now.”
According to Sotheby’s London, “the cross has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats and measures approximately 136 x 95mm.”
Kate and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have both worn their late mother-in-jewelry law’s over the years. On December 6, the former Meghan Markle wore the emerald-cut, aquamarine solitaire ring she wore on her wedding day to the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala.
On Nov. 22, Kate wore the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara to King Charles III’s first state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Kardashian’s big purchase comes after she wore Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday” gown to the 2022 Met Gala. When the Skims founder arrived in the iconic 1962 gown, many people had mixed feelings.
Kardashian was able to borrow the dress from owner Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. Despite the fact that she only wore the dress for less than five minutes at the Met Gala, there were rumours that she damaged it.
Ripley’s and Kardashian both denied that the dress had been ruined.
“It was a lengthy process. I arrived at the red carpet in a robe and slippers, placed the dress at the bottom of the carpet, and proceeded up the stairs. “I probably had it on for three or four minutes, and then I changed right at the top of the stairs,” Kardashian told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb in June 2022.
“I respect her,” she said of Monroe and her choice for the “Gilded Glamour” theme. “I understand how much this dress means to American history, and with the theme being American, I thought, ‘What is more American than Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the President of the United States?”
