Queen Camilla
She copied Princess Diana’s iconic revenge dress
© Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty Images
It is a dress that was one of Princess Diana’s most iconic: the so-called revenge dress made headlines around the world. But less well known: Queen Camilla also copied this look just a year later – her very own revenge look?
It is figure-hugging, falls just below the knees, shows a lot of cleavage thanks to a Carmen neckline and has a side veil: We are talking about Princess Diana’s, †36, “Revenge Dress”, the so-called revenge dress that dominated the press headlines at the time and is still associated with her today.
Princess Diana: Her “Revenge Dress” went around the world
The late princess wore the dress at a fundraising dinner at the Serpentine Gallery not far from Kensington Palace in 1994. Diana combined it with a pearl choker with an integrated family brooch. Diana originally wanted to wear a dress from Valentino, but at the last minute she decided on the Christina Stambolian model, which, according to her stylist at the time, she had been hanging in her closet for three years.
© Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
Charles made his relationship with Camilla public that evening
The little black dress is very sexy – no question about it. And therefore rather unusual for working royals like Lady Di was during her lifetime. But given that Charles made his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles public in a TV interview that same evening, it seemed to Diana to be the perfect dress for the occasion – with success. The press was full of photos of her in this dress, ushering in a new, self-determined era for the previously shy Diana. The dress is “possibly the most strategic dress ever worn by a woman in recent history,” says author Georgina Howell, describing Diana’s choice of clothing that evening in her book “Diana, Her Life in Fashion.”
© Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty Images
Coincidence or cynical? Camilla copies Diana’s “Revenge Dress”
Queen Camilla’s version of the revenge dress, with which she was photographed by photographers a year later, on October 18, 1995, caused less of a stir. The similarity to the “Revenge Dress” is amazing, even if the skirt part of the dress is a little looser and a delicate polka dot pattern can be seen on it. In particular, the Carmen neckline and the opulent three-row pearl choker with brooch are reminiscent of Diana’s look and inevitably raise the question of what Camilla wanted to achieve with this copy cat look. Only Camilla herself probably knows that, because – unsurprisingly – there was never a statement about it.
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What happened to Diana’s “Revenge Dress”?
Princess Diana’s revenge dress was bought for almost £40,000 by a Scottish couple who wanted to use it to support children’s charities. After Diana’s death on August 31, 1997, it was repeatedly shown in various exhibitions.
It can also currently be seen in the Neftlix hit series “The Crown”. Even before the fifth season aired, the series makers confirmed that the legendary outfit would be seen. The iconic dress is worn by actress Elizabeth Debicki, who portrays Diana in the fifth and sixth seasons.