A sweeping gown Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House has been bought for more than $280,000 by the charity that looks after her former palace.

The bodiced, off-the-shoulder, midnight blue dress by couturier Victor Edelstein, was put up for sale by London's Kerry Taylor Auctions on Monday, with an estimated price tag of 250,000-300,000 pounds ($320,750 - $384,900).

It failed to reach those figures during live bidding, but the charity moved in afterwards.

"It was sold post-auction ... for a hammer price of 220,000 pounds. The seller was delighted as he hoped it would stay in the UK," the auction house said in a statement.

The charity Historic Royal Palaces - which looks after Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London as well as the public parts of Diana's former home, Kensington Palace - said on Wednesday it had bought a piece of history.

"Not only is the ‘Travolta’ dress a fantastic example of couture tailoring designed to dazzle on a state occasion, it represents a key moment in the story of twentieth-century royal fashion," Eleri Lynn, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, said in a statement.

"We’re delighted to have acquired this iconic evening gown for the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection - a designated collection of national and international importance - over twenty years since it first left Kensington Palace," she added.

Diana wore the dress in 1985 at a White House state dinner, where she danced with the "Grease" actor.

Auctioneer Kerry Taylor said the gown had previously been bought in 2013 for 200,000 pounds "by a romantic gentleman who wanted basically to cheer up his wife".

"But since then it’s spent most of its time locked away in a wardrobe and now as a couple, they feel they really want this to go out into the public domain.”

A sweeping gown Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House has been bought for more than $280,000 by the charity that looks after her former palace.

A sweeping gown Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House has been bought for more than $280,000 by the charity that looks after her former palace. The bodiced, off-the-shoulder, midnight blue dress by couturier Victor Edelstein, was put up for sale by London's Kerry Taylor Auctions on Monday, with an estimated price tag of 250,000-300,000 pounds ($320,750 - $384,900). It failed to reach those figures during live bidding, but the charity moved in afterwards. "It was sold post-auction ... for a hammer price of 220,000 pounds. The seller was delighted as he hoped it would stay in the UK," the auction house said in a statement. The charity Historic Royal Palaces - which looks after Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London as well as the public parts of Diana's former home, Kensington Palace - said on Wednesday it had bought a piece of history. "Not only is the ‘Travolta’ dress a fantastic example of couture tailoring designed to dazzle on a state occasion, it represents a key moment in the story of twentieth-century royal fashion," Eleri Lynn, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, said in a statement. "We’re delighted to have acquired this iconic evening gown for the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection - a designated collection of national and international importance - over twenty years since it first left Kensington Palace," she added. Diana wore the dress in 1985 at a White House state dinner, where she danced with the "Grease" actor. Auctioneer Kerry Taylor said the gown had previously been bought in 2013 for 200,000 pounds "by a romantic gentleman who wanted basically to cheer up his wife". "But since then it’s spent most of its time locked away in a wardrobe and now as a couple, they feel they really want this to go out into the public domain.”

Princess Diana's Travolta dress that didn't find takers in auction, gets sold for more than $280,000

A midnight blue velvet gown worn by Princess Diana as she danced with John Travolta at the White House got the cold shoulder at auction, the Kerry Taylor house said Monday.

Diana wore the off-the-shoulder Victor Edelstein dress when she and then-husband Prince Charles attended a state dinner hosted by the late US President Ronald Reagan on November 9, 1985.

Diana was photographed dancing with Travolta to the song "You Should be Dancing" from his film 'Saturday Night Fever'. Estimated at £250,000-£350,000 ($324,000-$454,000), the dress did not even attract a reserve, or minimum, bid of £200,000.

Two other dresses owned by Diana fared much better, however.

A long-sleeved dress from 1986 by Katherine Cusack, also in midnight-blue velvet, was snapped up for £60,000, or £71,000 with fees, which was double the estimated maximum value.

A Catherine Walker navy wool day dress from around 1989, that Diana wore in private, according to Kerry Taylor, was bought for £35,000 or almost six times its estimated value.

The Edelstein dress was part of a collection of outfits that Diana herself sold for charity at auction in June 1997, just weeks before she died in a car crash in Paris.

A midnight blue velvet gown worn by Princess Diana as she danced with John Travolta at the White House got the cold shoulder at auction, the Kerry Taylor house said Monday.

A midnight blue velvet gown worn by Princess Diana as she danced with John Travolta at the White House got the cold shoulder at auction, the Kerry Taylor house said Monday. Diana wore the off-the-shoulder Victor Edelstein dress when she and then-husband Prince Charles attended a state dinner hosted by the late US President Ronald Reagan on November 9, 1985. Diana was photographed dancing with Travolta to the song "You Should be Dancing" from his film 'Saturday Night Fever'. Estimated at £250,000-£350,000 ($324,000-$454,000), the dress did not even attract a reserve, or minimum, bid of £200,000. Two other dresses owned by Diana fared much better, however. A long-sleeved dress from 1986 by Katherine Cusack, also in midnight-blue velvet, was snapped up for £60,000, or £71,000 with fees, which was double the estimated maximum value. A Catherine Walker navy wool day dress from around 1989, that Diana wore in private, according to Kerry Taylor, was bought for £35,000 or almost six times its estimated value. The Edelstein dress was part of a collection of outfits that Diana herself sold for charity at auction in June 1997, just weeks before she died in a car crash in Paris.

Princess Diana's 'Travolta' dress get no takers at auction

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Princess Diana's Travolta dress that didn't find takers in auction, gets sold for more than $280,000

Princess Diana's 'Travolta' dress get no takers at auction