Audrey Hepburn's Personal Memorabilia Auction Tops $6 Million

An employee poses alongside a display of outfits during a preview of Audrey Hepburn's personal collection. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)
An employee poses alongside a display of outfits during a preview of Audrey Hepburn's personal collection. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)
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Audrey Hepburn's Personal Memorabilia Auction Tops $6 Million

An employee poses alongside a display of outfits during a preview of Audrey Hepburn's personal collection. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)
An employee poses alongside a display of outfits during a preview of Audrey Hepburn's personal collection. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

An auction of items from screen icon Audrey Hepburn's personal collection has made more than $6 million, including a world record for her script of the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Christie's announced Thursday.

The lots realized £4,635,500 ($6.21 million, 5.29 million euros), Agence France Presse quoted Christie's as saying following the 10-hour sale in London on Wednesday.

"We have been utterly delighted with the overwhelming response to the personal collection of Audrey Hepburn," said Adrian Hume-Sayer, head of sale and director of private collections at Christie's auction house.

"She is one of the greatest icons in the history of film and the incredible result so far, for part one of the collection, is a testament to her enduring appeal."

Bidding remains open online until October 4 for part two of the sale.

The British actress, who died in 1993 aged 63, was a movie and style icon from the 1950s onwards.

Dresses and coats, accessories including sunglasses, gloves and earrings as well as letters, photographs and paintings were among the 246 lots in Wednesday's sale, entitled "The Personal Collection of Audrey Hepburn".

They came from the late film legend's Swiss home.

"My mother kept it in the attic, quite literally," Hepburn's son Luca Dotti told AFP at a viewing last week.

The top-selling item on Wednesday was her working script for "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which sold for £632,750, breaking the world auction record for a movie script.

It was estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £90,000.

The parts for the character of Holly Golightly are marked in Hepburn's signature turquoise ink, with words underlined in blue ballpoint pen and pencil for emphasis.

Her working script for the 1964 film "My Fair Lady" went for £206,250.

A 1969 oil on canvas painting by Hepburn entitled "My Garden Flowers" went for £224,750.



International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Thousands of international fans of K-pop megastars BTS gathered on Friday in the suburbs of Seoul amid mounting excitement over an expected reunion of the group after its members complete mandatory service in the South Korean military.

This year's BTS Festa marks the 12th anniversary of the group, which last performed together in 2022 and has not toured since 2019 because of the global pandemic and subsequent military service obligations of its members.

It was unclear if any of the recently discharged performers would appear at the festival organized by the group's management agency, HYBE.

But that did not dampen the enthusiasm of fans, some of whom flew in from around the world hoping to spot some of the superstars at the gathering or at a pair of solo concerts by BTS rapper J-Hope as he wraps up his "Hope on the Stage" world tour.

"I want to enjoy everything because there are many things to do here and ... I hope to see the guys maybe," said Karla Linan Saucede, 33, who travelled from Mexico with her sister and friends.

"It's gone past excitement and into almost being numb," said Ayla O'Ryan, 45, from Scotland, adding that she planned a visit this month to practice Korean in the capital so that she could attend.

BTS' members Jimin and Jungkook discharged from the South Korean military on Wednesday, become the fifth and sixth to complete their service. Members RM and V were discharged on Tuesday and the last to finish will be Suga on June 21.

While details of a reunion have not been released, the group is expected to hold its largest ever world tour in 2026, says NH Securities, one of South Korea's largest investment firms.

Shares in HYBE jumped 11.3% in June as brokerages raised their sales estimates and target price for the agency ahead of the group's comeback.