Kim Kardashian has spent more than £160,000 on a piece of jewelery once worn by Princess Diana.
Attala’s cross was sold to a representative of the American reality star after it was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London.
The 1920s pendant, designed by luxury jewelery designer Garrard, was worn several times by the late royal, most famously at a charity gala in London in October 1987.
The princess paired the pendant with a Catherine Walker dress while attending a gala in support of Birthright, a charity working to protect human rights during pregnancy and childbirth.
Kardashian bought the pendant for £163,800 – more than double its pre-auction estimate – after bidding included four prospective buyers at Sotheby’s royal and noble sale on Wednesday.
The cross, which features square-cut amethysts and is accented by round diamonds, has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats.
It was first purchased by Garrard, the first official Crown jeweler to supply pieces for Queen Victoria, from businessman Naim Atala in the 1980s.
The Palestinian-British entrepreneur, who died in February 2021, was friends with Diana and lent her the cross several times.
Ahead of their sale, Christian Spofforth, head of jewelery at Sotheby’s in London, said: “Jewellery owned or worn by the late Princess Diana very rarely comes to market, particularly a piece like the Attala Cross, which is so colourful, bold and distinctive.
Image: Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe’s famous dress to the 2022 Met Gala
“To some extent, this unusual locket is symbolic of the princess’ growing confidence in her choice of clothing and jewelery at this particular time in her life.”
Kardashian has shown an interest in historical fashion items before.
The reality star paid $65,000 (£53,000) for three gold and jade Lorraine Schwartz bracelets owned by actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2011.
In 2017, she purchased a Cartier watch once owned by Jackie Onassis, the wife of former US President John F. Kennedy, for $379,500 (£307,000).
The 42-year-old wore Marilyn Monroe’s famous dress to last year’s Met Gala. She revealed that she lost 16 kilograms to fit into the dress.
It was originally worn by Monroe during her famous 1962 performance of “Happy Birthday to US President John F. Kennedy”.
Her dress was on loan from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum.
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