Iconic Princess Di coat from South Shields sells for huge sum at auction
A lab coat worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, on a visit to South Tyneside has sold for £4,500 at auction.
Auctioneers Anderson & Garland said the sale was the ‘standout lot’ at its recent Collectors Auction, which also included a letter written by Charles Darwin.
Buyer pays £4,500 for lab coat
The white lab coat was worn by Princess Diana during her visit to the Interconnections Systems factory in South Shields in December 1992.
She wore it on the very day her separation from King Charles the Third was announced to the media.
The coat, embroidered with the words ‘H R H The Princess of Wales’, had been left behind after the visit and kept by a team leader at the factory with permission. Unwashed and stored in a wardrobe ever since, it sold for over £4,500 to a buyer from the North East.
‘Another notable result’
A spokesman for the auctioneers said: “Another notable result came from a remarkable autograph album featuring letters, postcards and signatures from key political and cultural figures of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among them was a letter written by Charles Darwin from Down House in which he discusses arrangements for his son George to be admitted at Lincoln’s Inn. The collection was secured by an online bidder for £4,100.
“In a more unexpected result, a pair of taxidermy ducks soared well beyond expectations and sold for over £1,400.”
Jack Orgill, auctioneer at Anderson & Garland, commented: “From Diana to Darwin to… ducks, this sale really had everything. It is a privilege to bring such exceptional items to the North East, allowing members of the public to view them up close before the auction.
“Whether you are buying or simply curious, our viewing days offer a rare chance to see history in your hands.”