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00:00You've worked with many of Diana's close friends and have stories from her journeys to New York, Asia, London.
00:07And so next week's event, I'm sure, as you've been told, is about her love affair with New York.
00:12So I guess to start off with, why do you think Diana had such a special connection with the city?
00:18Well, yes, she did have a special connection with the city, and she's very much loved in New York City.
00:24And I guess it's an easy flight, London, New York, overnight, whatever.
00:31There's such great energy in New York City.
00:34She loved the arts, so New York City has a lot to offer from that perspective with her museums.
00:40She used to stay at the Carlisle Hotel.
00:42She had her own suite there, and they certainly loved her there, and she loved being there.
00:48And, you know, there's lots of times she was there, and you see we were leaving the Carlisle to attend
00:54a charity event to receive an award.
00:58And I think, well, I mean, Diana could have gone anywhere in the world, and people would have loved her
01:03for sure.
01:04But certainly in New York, she felt it was like a second home.
01:08And it's sort of probably a little bit of an escape from the spotlight that she was always in, in
01:15London, at home, in the palace, and with the institution that she was part of.
01:21Do you think it was an escape, even though, I mean, I've seen the photos where the crowds are waiting
01:26for her.
01:26It's like she could not get privacy, at least when she was out and about.
01:30Yeah, of course.
01:31I mean, obviously, you know, I was in Sydney, Australia, and when Diana Charles came in 1988, January, for Bicentennial.
01:43And the crowds was just incredible.
01:46She was so loved.
01:47And, yes, when people knew where she was and where she was going to be, let's say the Carlisle or
01:53she was, you know, the Lincoln Center or wherever she was going, the crowds, of course, would show up.
01:58But I think also she was able to be, to escape and have a little bit of private time, visit
02:04friends, do things like that, that where people didn't know what her movements were.
02:09And I think New York can offer you that sort of anonymity when you want to be that anonymous.
02:18Right.
02:19I think it's whether or not you choose to be anonymous.
02:21You know, not everyone has to know your movements.
02:23Some make it known, but.
02:27Exactly.
02:27And I mean, even like, because we're doing an auction for Marlon Monroe this week, and I always compare.
02:33I said there's lots of similarities between Princess Diana and Marlon Monroe that passed away from the 36th.
02:38So they'll never grow old in our minds.
02:41You know, they're beautiful people in their mid-30s.
02:45Marlon created the brand of Marlon Monroe.
02:48She craved that.
02:49She loved that attention.
02:51But she also craved a normalcy.
02:54And so she would disguise herself, wear a black wig, wear a headscarf, and go out.
02:59And nobody would bother her, and nobody would care who this person was.
03:05But as she went out as Marlon Monroe, she was absolutely mobbed.
03:08And perhaps, I know that Princess Diana herself, she dressed up and went to a Halloween party, I believe, with
03:16Freddie Mercury.
03:17And no one had any idea who she was.
03:21And, like, that had to be, like, so much fun, like, for her.
03:25Just to be among people doing crazy, normal stuff that we all love to do, especially at Halloween.
03:33And imagine being in the company of Freddie Mercury and nobody focusing on who this person was.
03:41Do you think that Diana was able to behave differently when she was in New York compared to London?
03:46I certainly do.
03:48I would absolutely believe that she felt more, like, freer.
03:56And, you know, like, she wasn't completely always, you know, under the spotlight or being sort of watched, if you
04:07will, by the royal family.
04:10I think, you know, she felt so trapped when she was there, apart from, of course, with her two sons,
04:16who she absolutely adored.
04:17But I do feel that it was liberating for her to be in New York because, you know, there's so
04:24much happening all the time in New York City.
04:29And there's so many other celebrities there as well doing their thing.
04:34And so Diana was able to blend in as, you know, just another person when she chose to do that.
04:40So I do think it was really liberating for her when she'd be in New York.
04:48She loved the energy of New York.
04:49And she loved what New York has to offer.
04:53Incredible restaurants, of course, the theater.
04:55Her, you know, so many choices that she could just go to and, you know, people not know her every
05:04single movement.
05:05Right.
05:06How was she, do you think she was perceived differently by Americans compared to, you know, those in the UK?
05:13Absolutely adored.
05:14And still is absolutely adored.
05:16And, you know, you think about when Diana, at the behest of her son, young son, William, when he recommended
05:24that, he said to his mommy, why don't you sell some of your frocks for charity?
05:31She chose to do that auction in New York.
05:33And that speaks to, like, the fact that she was so loved, so appreciated, so adored, not judged, not expected
05:46to behave like a royal should behave, like back home.
05:51And I think that was the part that was really appealing to her.
05:55And she was able to attend that event in New York in June of 1997, their reception.
06:03And that event raised, she sold about 70 dresses, and it raised $3 million for charity, her charities, landmines, and
06:14sick children.
06:16She, like, that was phenomenal at the time.
06:18They think that 70 dresses could bring in $3 million, when $3 million was $3 million back in 1997.
06:28Now, we've sold those dresses, they've come back to us, and we've sold them for over $1 million.
06:34Dresses that sold for $40,000, $60,000 back then, and are selling for $1 million plus.
06:41Which is, again, speaks to how loved she is, and how adored.
06:47And you think of her, you see the images of her at that auction, and she has a glass of
06:52adult beverage.
06:54And you think, wow, you know, she was, like, just looked incredibly glamorous.
06:59But she was having fun.
07:03And two months after that, we lost Diana.
07:06That's hard to believe, tragically.
07:08And so, you think, just about that one event, you think, wow, that was a happy occasion.
07:15She had to be so, felt so good, personally, about, like, how, like, dresses that she had worn to various
07:25red carpet events and royal visits abroad.
07:29Hanging in the closet, she was able to take those dresses by her own son's encouragement.
07:36She had to be proud of, like, the son that she raised with those consideration for people less privileged.
07:45That he would say, sell their frocks to raise money for your charities.
07:51Brilliant.
07:51So, it really gives us, it heartens us to think about our future king of England.
07:56How the qualities that he possesses because of his mom, Princess Diana.
08:03Yeah, and I feel like it must mean something that she chose to do that auction in New York, of
08:07all places.
08:09Because I feel like, couldn't she have done that in London if she had wanted to?
08:13She absolutely could have done it in London.
08:14And you would have expected that it would have been done in London.
08:18But she chose to do it in New York.
08:20She loved New York, but she's very, very clever.
08:23However, she also knew that she was loved and not judged in New York.
08:30And there's the difference.
08:31Because at that time, you know, there was a divorce within the royal family, which was unheard of.
08:38And, you know, there were people that blamed Diana, you know, back home.
08:44And they had expectations for her and how she should behave and what she should wear and what she should
08:49dress.
08:50And where the hemline was on her knee, above or below, and where her neckline was.
08:55All of these New Yorkers didn't care about that.
08:59New Yorkers wanted glamour.
09:01And, you know, you got it, flaunted.
09:03And I think that's what she loved about New York.
09:07And she also felt that in New York, to do this auction, people are extremely generous.
09:15And they would want to own something from her life and career and support her and support her charities.
09:23And I think she made a really great decision that was very clever.
09:27And she was able to be a part of it.
09:29And she had fun.
09:30And you can clearly see her at that auction on the videos.
09:32And she's enjoying it and the process.
09:36And it was, like, liberating and cathartic as well because she was letting go of what she was, hate or
09:42hate.
09:43And now she was free.
09:45She was liberated.
09:46She wasn't married anymore.
09:48She wasn't a full member of the royal family.
09:52And it was so incredible that that auction sort of, like, tells so much about her love affair of New
10:01York, her love affair with New Yorkers.
10:04But New Yorkers love affair with Diana.
10:08Unjudged, totally supported, respected, and loved.
10:14And like any human being, you're going to go where you're loved.
10:17Right.
10:18Exactly.
10:19Well, you know, it definitely seems like she, New York provided a sense of freedom for her.
10:23And we know that she was adored by New Yorkers.
10:25I believe it was at the CFDA Fashion Awards where someone shouted, move here to her.
10:30And she, like, smiled back at them.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Do you know anybody who was at that auction in 1997?
10:37Well, there was one lady that I knew, sadly she's passed away, but she, so she's from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
10:46And she was in Connecticut with her friend for a couple of days.
10:52And her friend said, I'm going to New York for the Princess Diana auction.
10:58And she wasn't even aware of it.
11:00And so she went to New York for the event.
11:05And she ended up buying five dresses in that auction.
11:11And she spent somewhere, like, about $120,000 for the five dresses.
11:16Beautiful gowns.
11:18And she was interviewed by the Today Show.
11:23She was interviewed by, I think it was Larry King.
11:28So she called her husband, so her husband back in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her three daughters.
11:35And she called her husband and she said something to the effect of a very quick message.
11:42Just want you to know, I just want you to know, I bought five Princess Diana dresses.
11:46And she hung up.
11:48Because when he turned on the TV, his wife was on TV that morning talking about that she bought the
11:54dresses for Princess Diana.
11:56And so she, when she got, she was actually, had the money set aside to buy an apartment.
12:08And I think she was shopping possibly in New York, but maybe for her daughters going to college.
12:13And so instead of buying the apartment, she bought the five dresses.
12:19So, okay, so now what?
12:21So that was June of 1997.
12:24And she picked up the dresses in New York, back to Michigan.
12:27Diana then, as we know, sadly passed away August 31st, 1997.
12:32So this lady thought, there's a reason why I own these dresses.
12:36Thanks, you guys.
12:37And so what she did was, she used to take the dresses and tour them to schools.
12:42And all over the United States for underprivileged areas.
12:48And at her own expanse with her husband.
12:51And they'd have mannequins and display the dresses.
12:54And they'd invite the kids to come and see them.
12:56And it was optional if you could pay $10 towards charity.
13:03So it would be children's charities, et cetera.
13:06And so if they couldn't pay, they could still come and see the dresses.
13:09That was her whole thing.
13:10That was her whole life.
13:12And then sadly, she passed away in January of 2023.
13:18But in 2013, she sold two of the dresses at Julian's.
13:24Somewhere around that.
13:26Between 2010 and 2013.
13:28And it sold for, the dresses sold for over $100,000 each.
13:33It's crazy.
13:34Back to what she paid.
13:36For five dresses.
13:38Yeah.
13:38And then when she passed away in January 2023, she had instructed her husband to contact Julian's
13:44to sell her other three dresses.
13:48And we sold those three dresses in September of 2023 for something in the region of
13:55$1.5 million, $1.6 million.
13:59That's incredible.
14:01Incredible.
14:03Yeah.
14:03And so that's just a great story.
14:06And she was in the room with Princess Diana.
14:10And it was just a huge moment for her.
14:13Didn't know why.
14:14She just felt the love and the outpouring.
14:16And she thought, okay, I'm going to buy some of these beautiful dresses.
14:19Not having any idea.
14:21Certainly not considering them as an investment.
14:24Not having any clue what she would do with them.
14:28She was an artist herself.
14:30So she loved their works of art.
14:33But she had three daughters.
14:35So she was probably thinking, oh, one each for my daughters or whatever.
14:38And then when Diana passed in, she realized, okay, there's a message here.
14:43There's a reason this happened.
14:45The reason why I bought these dresses.
14:47And so then she went on with that.
14:50And, you know, they were worth a lot more than the apartment, let's say.
14:55Right.
14:56It's so funny, though, to think that, oh, I bought one for each of my daughters.
14:59Like, what a souvenir from New York.
15:01A Princess Diana dress.
15:03Did she get to interact with the princess after she, you know, won the bid, won the auction?
15:09I'm not sure about that.
15:11Probably not.
15:12Because I think, I'm not sure if Diana was there for the actual auction.
15:15There was a sort of reception.
15:17A free auction.
15:19So, and then, you know, so she was there for that.
15:22You know, the catalogs, there was, you know, there was a catalog printed.
15:26And Diana signed, I think, 200 or 250 of the catalogs hand-signed.
15:31And they sell for huge money now, $20,000, $40,000, because it's so hard to find something signed by
15:39Princess Diana.
15:40And certainly, like, that auction book that represented so much and speaks to the fact that Diana chose to be
15:48in New York and to have this auction in New York because she came where the love was.
15:53Yeah.
15:54Now, you mentioned it earlier.
15:55Earlier, we know that when Diana did come into town, she would stay at the Carlisle.
15:59It's such a nice hotel.
16:01It's one of my personal favorites.
16:03Did you ever hear any stories about her stays there?
16:08Everybody at that hotel absolutely loved when Diana would come to town.
16:11She was the most sweetest, nicest person they could have.
16:15She had her own suite there.
16:16When we were selling Diana dresses, we held the exhibition in her suite with a little VIP party.
16:27And, of course, all the New Yorkers came out.
16:29And it was so fun and just sort of, like, amazing to have.
16:34We sort of brought Diana back there one more time because she absolutely loved that hotel.
16:39And they certainly loved her, as everybody did.
16:43She was just so sweet and considered and kind and non-demanding and certainly not a high-maintenance guest.
16:51She was a real person.
16:54And she felt that in New York, she could be real.
16:57And New Yorkers are, you know, they're fun and they have a great sense of humor and great wit.
17:03And I think she loved them for that.
17:05Yeah, well, I mean, it is such an iconic hotel for so many iconic figures.
17:09I don't know if you ever saw the documentary Always at the Carlisle, but Piers Morgan brings up how there
17:15was the famous elevator ride with Diana, Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs.
17:21I don't think there's too many.
17:22You could expect something like that to happen.
17:25I can.
17:26Yes, I remember that.
17:28And I, yes, I, it was a quite, quite a, an eclectic crowd in one, one elevator.
17:35I'd say it was a very uplifting experience.
17:38Yeah.
17:39Well, I mean, I think you pretty much summed it up that Diana did love the city.
17:43She had, she was able to experience freedom that perhaps she didn't get back home.
17:47But I guess, you know, just to kind of put the bow or the cherry on top, like, what was
17:52it about New York that you think drew her back throughout the 90s, up until two months before her passing?
17:58I would say freedom.
18:00I would say she felt that she was non-judged and she could be who she was.
18:06She could wear what she chose to wear without any rules or restrictions.
18:12And she was truly loved.
18:14And, you know, like, there were, you know, back home because of, you know, the divorce and the scandals and
18:22all of that.
18:23You know, people were inclined to be judgmental.
18:26I think that's gone now.
18:27You know, people who sort of look at the big picture and really are sad that we no longer have
18:32Diana.
18:33And if today, if she was alive and the marriage had lasted, you know, she would be the current queen
18:38of England.
18:39So, you know, people think about that and what an incredible lady or queen she would have been.
18:46But I think she is the mother of the future king.
18:51And I think through him, her qualities and her ability to relate to the normal people and the people that
19:03are less privileged, he and his wife, Kate Milton, definitely have those qualities.
19:10And I think Diana would be very, very proud.
19:12So, yes, New York represented freedom.
19:17It was where she felt the love.
19:19She was non-judged and she could have fun.
19:23And Diana loved to have fun.
19:24And, you know, for a few years, there was no fun for her.
19:29And suddenly she was starting to embrace life again and enjoy the freedom and enjoy all the great things that
19:38New York City has to offer, like everyone else that loves to come to New York.
19:42To go to the theater, go to, you know, a nice restaurant, take a stroll in Central Park, stay in
19:50a nice hotel.
19:51New York has it all.
19:53And I think Diana felt that and loved it.
19:56And it's an easy trip from London.
19:58Five, six hours and you're there.
19:59Yeah, true.
20:00And it's been wonderful to see, you know, obviously Harry has visited with Meghan.
20:05But when we had the Prince and Princess of Wales come in 2014, you know, following in her footsteps, staying
20:10at the Carlisle, I know many of us are hoping that they'll pay a visit at some point this year
20:16for the 250th birthday.
20:18I'm sure they will.
20:20And, you know, Kate is traveling now again.
20:22So I expect it would be just incredible to welcome them back to the city and back to the Carlisle.
20:29And, yeah, lots of reasons to celebrate.
20:32And, yeah, sadly, Diana's not with us, but she's left us two good ambassadors with Harry and with William.
20:41And so I think definitely a trip to New York should be on their agenda for this year.
20:47I'll put in a word.
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