It is one of the most highly anticipated auctions for lovers of Royal fashion – and when three of Princess Diana‘s dresses go on sale next month, they are expected to raise more than £500,000.

But for widower Louis Petho, the sale, at Julien’s auction house, in Los Angeles, will bring back bitter-sweet memories as his wife Ellen, who bought the dresses 26 years, died earlier this year.

Mr Petho, 82, an economist, who lives in Port Heron, Michigan, is selling the gowns to raise money for a scholarship fund for mature students of art and design in memory of his late wife, who raised more than £1 million for charities for children with special needs.

‘Ellen knew Diana was keen on children’s charities and thought that it would be Diana’s mission,’ he says. ‘We had some wonderful memories travelling around the States with the dresses.

The Catherine Walker green silk georgette gown, which Diana wore to an evening function at the Dorchester Hotel in November 1993

The Catherine Walker green silk georgette gown, which Diana wore to an evening function at the Dorchester Hotel in November 1993

The Catherine Walker green silk georgette gown, which Diana wore to an evening function at the Dorchester Hotel in November 1993

Mrs Petho sold the dress and raised a staggering £67,406.63 - making a profit of £52,880.63

Mrs Petho sold the dress and raised a staggering £67,406.63 - making a profit of £52,880.63

Mrs Petho sold the dress and raised a staggering £67,406.63 – making a profit of £52,880.63

Ellen Petho, who bought Diana's dresses 26 years at Christie's, in New York, died in January

Ellen Petho, who bought Diana's dresses 26 years at Christie's, in New York, died in January

Ellen Petho, who bought Diana’s dresses 26 years at Christie’s, in New York, died in January

‘She had a glow when she saw those children that you have never seen. We saw a lot of sad things and a lot of happy ones. A big chunk of the auction is to set up a scholarship fund in her memory.’

The dresses for sale are a red silk Bruce Oldfield gown, which Diana wore to the 1991 film premiere of Hot Shots! at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1991; a black and jade Catherine Walker dress that Diana wore to a gala dinner in Toronto the same year; and a black and ivory strapless velvet gown that Diana wore privately.

Mr Petho, who has three daughters, Karrie, 60, Christine, 55, and Kathy, 54, vividly remembers the day that his wife, who ran a design business, bought a total of five of Diana’s dresses at Christie’s, in New York .

It was 25 June 1997 and the occasion would prove all the more poignant in retrospect as it was only two months before the disaster of Diana’s death in Paris. 

A total of 1,100 people, including museum owners, fashion connoisseurs, haute couture collectors and Diana fans crammed into the Manhattan auction house to place a bid on 79 of the late Princess’s dresses.

Within two-and-a-half hours, the auction had raised £1.96 million for her chosen charities: the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund and the AIDS Crisis Trust.

‘Her interest in Diana goes back to my youngest daughter Kathy,’ explains Mr Petho, who celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary four months before his wife’s death.

‘She was a big fan of Diana’s and stayed up half the night to watch the Royal wedding.

‘So, when Diana announced her auction, we ordered the coffee table book showing the dresses. Inside were two tickets to view the dresses. So, Ellen went to see the dresses and got a ticket for the auction.

‘She had a commercial design business and she was looking to do something different. She thought: ‘What a great opportunity it would be to start a new adventure in life.’

‘So, lo and behold, she bought five dresses. Afterwards she went on Larry King later that night. She then rang me and I said: ‘I’ve got something to tell you before the press get to me.’

The Catherine Walker pink two-piece outfit, that Diana memorably wore to performances of the English National Ballet and the Puccini opera La Bohe¿me in 1993

The Catherine Walker pink two-piece outfit, that Diana memorably wore to performances of the English National Ballet and the Puccini opera La Bohe¿me in 1993

The Catherine Walker pink two-piece outfit, that Diana memorably wore to performances of the English National Ballet and the Puccini opera La Bohème in 1993

Having been the second piece of the late Princess of Wales to be sold by the family, the gown raised £62,221.50 - a profit of £49,078.50

Having been the second piece of the late Princess of Wales to be sold by the family, the gown raised £62,221.50 - a profit of £49,078.50

Having been the second piece of the late Princess of Wales to be sold by the family, the gown raised £62,221.50 – a profit of £49,078.50

A black and jade Catherine Walker dress that Diana wore to a gala dinner in Toronto in 1991

A black and jade Catherine Walker dress that Diana wore to a gala dinner in Toronto in 1991

A black and jade Catherine Walker dress that Diana wore to a gala dinner in Toronto in 1991

Bought for £14,526, this stunning dress is expected to raise between £80,000 and £160,000

Bought for £14,526, this stunning dress is expected to raise between £80,000 and £160,000

Bought for £14,526, this stunning dress is expected to raise between £80,000 and £160,000

After ten years travelling around the States with the dresses, Ellen, who had seven grandchildren Haley, 28, Zach 24, Carson, 21, Rachel, 20, Sophia and Marley, 18, and Nolan, 16, decided to sell two of the dresses, making a substantial profit.

The Catherine Walker green silk georgette gown, which Diana wore to the 80th birthday party of the late conductor Sir George Solti in 1992 and for her last state banquet in 1993, raised £67,406.63 – a profit of £52,880.63.

And the Catherine Walker pink two-piece outfit, that Diana memorably wore to performances of the English National Ballet and the Puccini opera La Bohème, in 1993, raised £62,221.50 – a profit of £49,078.50.

Both are now in the Fundación Museo de la Moda, in Santiago, Chile. ‘She didn’t want to part with all of them so she kept three as we have three daughters,’ he adds.

The Julien’s Auction ‘Legends: Hollywood & Royalty’, will take place in Beverley Hills – and online – on September 6, 7 and 8 and includes the three dresses, designed by two of Diana’s favourite designers Bruce Oldfield and Catherine Walker.

The red silk Bruce Oldfield gown, which Diana wore to the 1991 film premiere of Hot Shots!

The red silk Bruce Oldfield gown, which Diana wore to the 1991 film premiere of Hot Shots!

The red silk Bruce Oldfield gown, which Diana wore to the 1991 film premiere of Hot Shots!

Diana wearing the dress at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1991 which Mrs Petho bought for £20,752 - and is now listed between £150,000 and £300,000

Diana wearing the dress at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1991 which Mrs Petho bought for £20,752 - and is now listed between £150,000 and £300,000

Diana wearing the dress at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1991 which Mrs Petho bought for £20,752 – and is now listed between £150,000 and £300,000

A black and ivory strapless velvet gown that Diana wore privately is listed for £48,000 to £63,000

A black and ivory strapless velvet gown that Diana wore privately is listed for £48,000 to £63,000

A black and ivory strapless velvet gown that Diana wore privately is listed for £48,000 to £63,000

The red silk Bruce Oldfield gown was bought by for £20,752 and is now listed at  between £150,000 and £300,000.

The black and jade Catherine Walker dress, bought for £14,526, is expected to raise between £80,000 and £160,000.

And the black and ivory strapless velvet gown that Diana wore privately, bought for  £15,218, is listed at £48,000 to £63,000.

  • Diana: A Life in Dresses by Claudia Joseph is published by ACC Art Books, price £40 

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