On Thursday in Paris, a wax museum unveiled a new figure of the late Princess Diana in a black dress, known as her "revenge dress," decades after her tragic death, UNN reports.
Details
The Musée Grévin, one of Europe's oldest wax museums, dressed the life-size figure of the late Princess of Wales in the form-fitting, off-the-shoulder black cocktail dress Diana wore to an event at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1994. That same evening, King Charles III — then Prince Charles — admitted his infidelity on television.
For Paris, this tribute held special significance. Diana died in a car crash in a tunnel near the Seine River in 1997, and the city still attracts admirers who leave flowers and notes at unofficial memorials.
Diana's relationship with Dodi al-Fayed and the accident that killed them both immortalized Diana's connection to Paris.
Museum officials told The Associated Press that the director of the Musée Grévin commissioned the sculpture after a colleague who visited Madame Tussauds in London several years ago was disappointed with it. They noted that the unveiling coincided with the 30th anniversary of Diana's controversial interview with the BBC's "Panorama" program, which observers believe undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Queen.
Some observers noted that the museum's new royal guest is located far from the wax figures of her ex-husband and former mother-in-law.
High heels, a pearl necklace around her neck, and a small handbag clutched in both hands completed the sculpture's look. Tabloids later dubbed the outfit the "revenge dress," and the museum leaned into this symbolism.
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Addendum
Grévin, founded in the 19th century, has long filled its ornate halls with political leaders, artists, pop culture figures — and, of course, members of the British royal family. Diana is the latest in a continuous stream of star additions that the museum uses to update its collection and increase attendance at the museum, which attracts about 700,000 visitors a year in recent years.
Diana will be in good company. Curators will place her next to another prominent royal who died in Paris, albeit several centuries earlier: Marie Antoinette.