Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell says he picked out her iconic ‘revenge dress’ – despite another royal expert claiming otherwise
THE SO-CALLED ‘revenge dress’ is one of the most iconic outfits ever worn by Princess Diana – and now her former butler has claimed he picked it out for her.
Paul Burrell, 61, has insisted in a new documentary that he is responsible for the late royal’s legendary ensemble which she wowed in at a charity do at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994.
Speaking in programme Secrets of the Royal Dressmakers, which airs tonight on Channel 5, the ex-Royal Household member – who served Diana for ten years – recalled events ahead of the evening.
Paul said he supported an emotional Princess of Wales earlier on in the day as she fretted over an interview with her estranged husband Prince Charles, where he admitted cheating on her with Camilla Parker-Bowles, due to be broadcast that night.
“The Prince of Wales had decided to tell the world that he had committed adultery with Camilla Parker Bowles on national television,’ he explained.
“The night that was broadcast, the Princess was due to attend the Serpentine Gallery for her friend Lord Palumbo.
“She said, ‘I can’t go, I can’t face the world knowing what Charles has just said. And anyway I haven’t got anything to wear’.”
Paul said he then selected the little black dress, by Christina Stambolian, from her wardrobe.
The former butler continued: “I said, ‘Try it on.’ She slipped into it, I zipped her up and she looked a million dollars.”
Interestingly, other experts haven’t mentioned his involvement in the choice of dress that evening.
Speaking to the , well-respected royal expert Andrew Morton said that she had initially been planning to wear a Valentino number.
He said: “She got highly irritated when Valentino sent out a press release beforehand saying she was going to wear their dress, because she thought it was presumptuous.”
The author explained that James Colthurst, a close friend of Diana’s, advised her to wear something more daring despite having “absolutely no clue about fashion”.
Morton added: “She said to him she was so annoyed with Valentino, and he said, ‘Well, I don’t know, look, wear something else, something sexy.’
“She said, ‘I probably will,’ and she picked out the Christina Stambolian dress.”
Although Diana had originally feared that the dress was “too daring”, she was the one who made headlines the following day – despite 14 million tuning in to watch Charles discuss his relationship with the future Duchess of Cornwall.
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