Princess Diana Finery Goes Under the Hammer

Princess Diana's 1987 Victor Edelstein magenta silk and lace evening dress is displayed during Julien's Auctions' press preview of "Princess Diana's Elegance & a Royal Collection", ahead of an exclusive private showing at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, California, June 25, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Princess Diana's 1987 Victor Edelstein magenta silk and lace evening dress is displayed during Julien's Auctions' press preview of "Princess Diana's Elegance & a Royal Collection", ahead of an exclusive private showing at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, California, June 25, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
TT

Princess Diana Finery Goes Under the Hammer

Princess Diana's 1987 Victor Edelstein magenta silk and lace evening dress is displayed during Julien's Auctions' press preview of "Princess Diana's Elegance & a Royal Collection", ahead of an exclusive private showing at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, California, June 25, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
Princess Diana's 1987 Victor Edelstein magenta silk and lace evening dress is displayed during Julien's Auctions' press preview of "Princess Diana's Elegance & a Royal Collection", ahead of an exclusive private showing at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, California, June 25, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

The biggest auction of Diana memorabilia since the late British princess sold dozens of outfits months before her death gets underway in California this week, featuring a midnight blue tulle dress and a flamenco-style lace-up number.

Nearly fifty pieces, including gowns, shoes, handbags and hats, will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills.

"Princess Diana's Elegance & A Royal Collection," brings together some of the style maven's favorite designers, including Victor Edelstein, Murray Arbeid and Catherine Walker.

Highlights include Arbeid's blue diamante ball gown, which the princess wore in 1986 to the London premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," and a magenta lace dress by Edelstein.

Both pieces are expected to fetch up to $400,000, according to Julien's Auctions, which is running the sale.

"We are here celebrating Princess Diana's elegance," AFP quoted Gabriela Schwartz, of the auction house, as saying.

"We have some really standout pieces... that Diana wore with a lot of pride and (which are) really emblematic of her style.

Diana married Britain's now-King Charles in 1981 in an opulent ceremony watched by tens of millions around the globe.

The fairy tale soured over the following years and their tempestuous relationship became fodder for newspapers and gossip magazines, feeding a growing celebrity culture that exploded in the 1990s.

The couple had two children -- Princes William and Harry -- but divorced in 1996 in a tabloid frenzy and amid mutual infidelities.

Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year as she and her lover tried to outrun paparazzi.

More than a quarter of a century on, the woman dubbed "The People's Princess" remains unmatched as a celebrity and style icon, whose allure continues to fascinate millions.

A dress worn by the princess that was auctioned last year fetched a staggering $1.14 million.

The collection, which has toured the globe for months, is expected to generate huge interest by the time bidding closes on Thursday.

As well as items of high couture, the sale will also include shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo, Kurt Geiger and Rayne, as well as letters in Diana's own handwriting, along with a number of other items connected to the British royal family.



Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Erupts for 2nd Time in a Week

Schoolchildren run during the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as seen from Lewolaga village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on November 7, 2024. (Photo by ARNOLD WELIANTO / AFP)
Schoolchildren run during the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as seen from Lewolaga village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on November 7, 2024. (Photo by ARNOLD WELIANTO / AFP)
TT

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Erupts for 2nd Time in a Week

Schoolchildren run during the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as seen from Lewolaga village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on November 7, 2024. (Photo by ARNOLD WELIANTO / AFP)
Schoolchildren run during the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as seen from Lewolaga village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on November 7, 2024. (Photo by ARNOLD WELIANTO / AFP)

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in eastern Indonesia’s erupted again Thursday, spewing a column of hot clouds that rose 2,500 meters from its peak, three days after a midnight eruption killed nine people and injured dozens of others.

There was no immediate report of casualties from the latest eruption, which some described as the biggest they had ever seen from Lewotobi Laki-Laki..

The 1,584-meter volcano on Indonesia’s remote island of Flores unleashed clouds of gray hot ash Thursday. The mixture of rock, lava and gas was thrown up to 1 kilometer from its crater, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation said in a statement.

The volcano lulled in activity since Monday’s deadly eruption killed nine people and injured 64 others.

Monday's eruption affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages. About 4,400 villagers moved into makeshift emergency shelters after the eruption, which destroyed seven schools, nearly two dozen houses and a convent on the majority-Catholic island.

The country’s volcano monitoring agency increased Lewotobi Laki Laki's alert status to the highest level and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a 7-kilometer radius since then, prohibiting any activity in that area.

Authorities warned the thousands of people who fled not to return home, as the government planned to move about 16,000 residents out of the danger zone, said National Disaster Management Agency head Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

“Permanent relocation is considered as a long-term mitigation measure to anticipate eruption in the future,” Suharyanto told reporters after visiting the devastated areas Thursday.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki laki” means man, while its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman.