Princess Diana, in her 'revenge dress,' debuts at Paris museum
What's the story
The Grevin Museum in Paris has unveiled a life-size wax figure of Princess Diana, dressed in her iconic "revenge dress." The black off-the-shoulder cocktail dress was worn by the late British royal during a 1994 Serpentine Gallery event in London. On that same night, her husband Prince Charles, now King Charles III, admitted to his infidelity with Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla.
Commissioned replica
Grevin Museum director unimpressed with Madame Tussauds's Diana figure
The Grevin Museum director was reportedly unimpressed with the likeness of Princess Diana at Madame Tussauds in London. This prompted him to commission his own version for the Paris museum. The statue has been placed near that of Marie Antoinette, and quite far from the wax likeness of Diana's ex-husband and mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth.
Unveiling significance
Diana's tragic death in Paris adds significance to unveiling
The statue's unveiling comes on the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's explosive interview with BBC Panorama, where she spoke candidly about her turbulent marriage. The tribute carries extra weight as Diana died in a car crash in a tunnel by the Seine in 1997. Her death helped immortalize her in Parisian imagination, where she remains present through flowers and handwritten notes left at informal memorials.
Dress significance
French novelist calls Diana's 'revenge dress' a turning point
French novelist Christine Orban, who wrote Mademoiselle Spencer, a novel imagined from Diana's point of view, told AP that the figure was overdue. She called the black dress a turning point in Diana's story. "The dress is very significant of her liberation because in the royal family, black is only worn for funerals," Orban said. The outfit was dubbed the "revenge dress" by tabloids after its debut. And, the Grevin Museum decided to lean into that tag.