Kensington Palace is celebrating great news – visitors will be welcomed from 30 July following four months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic!
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To mark the very special occasion, Princess Diana's iconic 'Travolta' dress will be going on display for the first time since it was acquired by Historic Royal Palaces at auction in 2019 for £264,000.
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The velvet gown has gone down in history as one of the late Princess of Wales's most memorable looks.
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The midnight blue garment, designed by Victor Edelstein, became legendary when the Princess of Wales wore it to a White House Gala in 1985 and took to the dancefloor with John Travolta.
Diana's iconic 'Travolta' dress is on display at Kensington Palace
The images made headlines around the world – and now royal fans can see it up close for the first time.
The decision to display the dress is all the more significant because it has been on conservation "quarantine" ever since Historic Royal Palaces secured it – but it's now coming out of isolation!
The late Princess of Wales was pictured dancing with John Travolta in 1985
Newly-acquired garments are subject to freezing or heat treatment to get rid of any moths and eggs before joining the collection.
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Eleri Lynn, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, had been preparing the piece for storage when lockdown began, and it has remained in a workroom appropriately named the "isolation room" until now.
She told HELLO!: "It's such a momentous acquisition. It's the perfect blend of celebrity and royalty, so it's really special that it's now part of a designated national collection because we will preserve it for posterity.
Diana's dress has been in "isolation" since it was acquired at auction last year
"We exist to tell the story of our palaces and their people, and Diana is one of them. There is still such interest in Diana and the charity work that she did, so she is still hugely relevant."
Diana is known to have worn the beloved dress an incredible eight times for various public engagements – including her famous 1997 portrait taken by Lord Snowdon and the 1988 Wall Street premiere with Michael Douglas.
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