A designer leather handbag made especially for Princess Diana has sold for £8,600
Leather handbag made especially for Princess Diana has sold for £8,600 at auction alongside a handwritten note to the woman she gifted it to the year before she died
- A designer leather handbag made for Princess Diana has sold for £8,600
- The crocodile skin bag was designed by renowned fashion house Lana Marks
- Diana was such a fan of the stunning bag that it became known as the ‘Diana bag’
- A handwritten letter by Diana on Kensington Palace writing paper is included
A designer leather handbag made especially for Princess Diana has sold for £8,600, alongside a handwritten letter from the late royal on Kensington Palace writing paper.
The exoctic bag, made from crocodile skin, was designed by renowned fashion house Lana Marks for the Princess of Wales in the 1990s and sold by the Lamos family at Reeman Dansie Auctioneers in Colchester, Essex.
Diana was such a fan of the accessory that it became known as the ‘Diana bag’ and she bought 15 of them.
A designer leather handbag made especially for Princess Diana has sold for £8,600 which included a handwritten letter from Diana on Kensington Palace writing paper
She gifted the bag that’s been sold to Chrisanthy Lemos, the wife of a Greek shipping magnate, after she admired it at a dinner party.
A handwritten letter by Diana on Kensington Palace writing paper to Chrisanthy was also included in the lot.
She wrote the note to thank her for helping her survive the media attention during her trip to Greece for the funeral of Giannis Kaliviotos, who she befriended during her time at Brompton Hospital.
She wrote: ‘This comes with my fondest love and very special thanks from Diana.’
A handwritten letter by Diana on Kensington Palace writing paper to Chrisanthy is also included in the lot
The exoctic bag was designed by renowned fashion house Lana Marks for the Princess of Wales in the 1990s
The chic black handbag, which is made from crocodile skin, measures 11ins by 7ins with a clasp to secure the opening
It was written in September 1996, a month after her divorce to Prince Charles was granted and a year before her death in a car crash in Paris.
The black handbag measures 11ins by 7ins with a clasp to secure the opening.
Auctioneer James Grinter said: ‘This handbag was specifically made for her by Lana Marks and she liked it so much she bought 15 of them.
‘This design became so strongly associated with her that it became known as the ‘Diana bag’.
Diana looked typically elegant in a blue suit designed by fashion designer Chanel and the Lana Marks bag in April 1997
‘We thought that this sale would do well because of her enduring legacy across the globe.
‘The bag was in fantastic condition and the opportunity to own something that the princess had owned was irresistible for collectors.
‘There was worldwide interest in this sale, mainly from the UK, US and Australia.
‘It ended up being bought by an American private collector who is absolutely delighted to add it to their collection.’
Lana was a personal friend of Diana and according to the designer, the two women had planned a four-day trip to Italy for the end of August 1997.
Lana Marks, pictured with Princess Diana in 1997, said she still felt the pain of her friend’s passing, years after the horrific accident that shocked the world
However Lana cancelled at the last minute when her father had a heart attack and Diana went to Paris with her partner Dodi Fayed instead -where they were killed in a car accident.
Speaking to The Sun in 2017 she said: ‘It was a terrible time. I was supposed to be on vacation with Diana in Milan right then.
‘We were going to go to Lake Como before flying back. I felt bad because she was at a loose end. I still feel the pain of it all.
‘I constantly think, ‘What if she’d been with me?’ All that might not have happened.’
Marks said she still felt the pain of her friend’s passing, years after the horrific accident that shocked the world.