Bonhams to auction The Crown props and costumes, including Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge Dress’ and engagement ring
More than 450 lots from the award-winning Netflix series will be available to view this month before Bonhams auctions them in February
As Netflix’s The Crown aired its final episodes last month, London auction house Bonhams is preparing to open an exclusive exhibition showcasing 450 props, furniture, and costumes used in the award-winning series this month, before every item is sold at auction in February.
Running from 11 January to 5 February 2024, the exhibition – ahead of the auction on 7 February – allows The Crown fans to get up close and personal with the costumes worn by Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, Emma Corrin as Lady Diana Spencer, Golden Globe-winner Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret and more, spanning characters and actors from series one to six. Highlights include Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge dress’ and a replica of the Queen’s Coronation ordaining dress, Imperial Mantle and red Coronation robe, which is expected to fetch between £20,000-30,000.
Costumes are not the only items on offer, however, as the auction also includes props and sets that were central to the acclaimed British production. Oscar-winning production designer, Martin Childs, and his team meticulously recreated two of the most famous addresses in the world: 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. The recreation of the Number 10 Downing Street façade and front door is offered in the sale with an estimate of £20,000-30,000, along with the replica of the famous wrought-iron gates of Buckingham Palace, with an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
Charlie Thomas, Bonhams UK director for private collections, said: “The iconic costumes, props and set pieces from The Crown are extensively researched and made with truly impressive attention to detail by master craftspeople. Not only is this an incredible opportunity to own pieces from the landmark show, it is also the closest anyone can come to owning the real thing – be it the façade of 10 Downing Street or Princess Diana’s engagement ring.”
One of the most memorable scenes from The Crown sees Claire Foy, as Queen Elizabeth II, crowned during a coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in series one. Having poured over hours of archive footage, The Crown’s creative team captured as much of the reality of the event as possible to create the world’s only reproduction of the Gold State Coach, which will be offered at auction with an estimate of £30,000-50,000, and a reproduction of the Coronation Chair (Saint Edward’s Chair) with an estimate of £10,000-20,000.
Another iconic recreation was Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge Dress’ – the black Christina Stambolian off-the-shoulder cocktail dress Diana wore to a 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery shortly after King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) admitted adultery on television. Created by costume designers Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts, the costume was extensively researched and recreated with an exacting eye for detail and was worn during season five, episode five of The Crown by Elizabeth Debicki (as Princess Diana). It features in the auction with an expected price tag of £8,000-12,000. A recreation of Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring, worn by Emma Corrin as Lady Diana Spencer, has been estimated at £2,000-3,000.
Other highlights include the powder blue ball gown and fur stole worn by Claire Foy as The Queen which featured in promotional posters for The Crown; the leopard print swimsuit and sunglasses seen on Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in the Gulf of St Tropez in season six; and Vanessa Kirby’s ivory wedding dress and veil worn when she played Princess Margaret in season two.
A live sale of some 150 lots will take place on 7 February 2024 at Bonhams’ New Bond Street address, while an online auction of the remaining 300 lots will commence from 11 January to 8 February. Proceeds from the live sale will go towards establishing Left Bank Pictures – The Crown Scholarship programme. This new stream of funding for the National Film and Television School (NFTS) will help support students over the next 20 years, enabling them to receive the specialised training for which the school is famous.
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