Princess Diana's iconic dress sells for $1.3 million at auction

Diana was known as a style icon, famous for her sartorial choices that transcended mere fashion statements and changed the way the public viewed fashion.

A collection of gowns, accessories, and keepsakes belonging to her were auctioned by Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles on June 27.

The royal items went for well above expected prices.

Among those sold was her Victor Edelstein lace evening dress worn in London on January 25, 1987, and in Hamburg on November 6 that year.

That dress sold for a whopping $1.3 million after being priced at $302,000.

Princess Diana's iconic Catherine Walker two-piece yellow and navy skirt suit was expected to sell for $42,298 but went under the hammer for $573,000.

Her emerald green satin evening pumps designed by Kurt Geiger and worn to a state banquet at the Dorchester Hotel in London in 1993 sold for $589,000.

Another top seller was Diana's pink floral silk shirt dress, also designed by Catherine Walker, which she wore to Prince William's sports day at Richmond Stadium in 1988 that sold for $671,171.

The sale comes after a Jacques Azagury-designed dress worn by Diana in Italy in 1985, which set a new world record for the most expensive dress worn by the royal at auction, sold for more than $1.5 million in December.

The auction also featured more than 20 handwritten letters, notes, and holiday cards from Diana, which "really speaks to the kindness and concern that Diana had and also tells us she was truly happily married," the auctioneers said.

Many of the letters are penned to Maud Pendrey, a former housekeeper at the Spencer family home at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire, "where Diana grew up".