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Princess Diana 1979 Original Vintage Photograph

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:NA
Princess Diana 1979 Original Vintage Photograph

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Auction Date:2017 Aug 24 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:236 Commercial St., Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Sought-after early glossy 9.5 x 7.5 news photo of a fresh-faced, 17-year-old Diana Spencer lounging on a cushioned seat, a young man reading a book propped on her shoulder, and a bottle of Ballantine’s Finest Scotch Whiskey on the windowsill. Image bears crop lines and a black wax pencil notation: “Not to be published.” Reverse of photo stamped “Negative held for one month from, 26 Feb 1981,” two days after Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Diana to Prince Charles. Matted and framed to an overall size of 15.5 x 12.5, with a window in the backing for viewing the reverse. In fine condition.
 
Though this image originated from the Daily Mirror’s archives, it was likely taken by an unknown amatuer photographer while Diana was on a skiing holiday in the French Alps in the spring of 1979. Even veteran Daily Mirror employees including royal photographer Kent Gavin, editor Mike Malloy, and picture editor, Len Greener, were mystified, with Greener stating he wouldn’t have written on the image in case of future publication. It was probably sold to the paper and held aside unpublished, perhaps to protect the dignity of Diana and the royal family.
 
When this photograph originally came up for sale by RR Auction in January 2013, it caused a media frenzy, covered by hundreds of outlets, including: The Today Show, TIME, CBS News, ABC, Huffington Post, and The Guardian. Following a mad dash by the British media to identify the man behind the future princess, which Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton eventually did, this incredibly rare photo sold for over $18,000. The ‘mystery’ man is Adam Russell, the great-grandson of former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and a student at Oxford University at the time; he bonded with the future princess while the two were recovering from injuries sustained on the slopes. A simply remarkable, newsworthy image of a refreshingly youthful Diana.