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A jumper worn by Diana, Princess of Wales is predicted to sell at auction for up to £70,000. The famous red and white “black sheep” sweater, which had been lost for decades, is being offered at auction for the first time at Sotheby’s in New York on September 7. Diana first wore the woollen jumper – with its black and white sheep motif – to a polo match of her fiance, the then-prince of Wales, in June 1981. It was one of the first pieces designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne for their knitwear label Warm & Wonderful, and helped to catapult their brand into the public eye. They said: “Much to our amazement, the first we knew of Lady Diana Spencer wearing the sweater was when we saw her on the front page of one of the Sunday newspapers. “Her influence was impactful almost immediately thereafter, leading to a surge in sales and public awareness of our small label, for which we will be forever grateful.” A few weeks after its first appearance, the pair received an official letter from Buckingham Palace requesting either a repair or a replacement for the sweater as it had been damaged. They knitted a new sweater for the late princess, but the whereabouts of the original remained unknown until they rediscovered it in March this year in their attic, tucked away in a small box beside a cotton bedspread. Warm & Wonderful stopped producing the black sheep style in 1994, but it was reissued in 2020 as a collaboration with the brand Rowing Blazer. The actress Emma Corrin wore a replica of the sweater when she played Diana in the fourth season of Netflix’s The Crown in 2020. Meanwhile, a sweater of the same design is part of the permanent collection of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Sotheby’s is offering the original sweater as part of its inaugural Fashion Icons sale which will run during New York Fashion week from August 31 to September 13. The auction house holds the record for the most valuable Diana dress ever sold – an aubergine ball dress which was bought for 604,800 dollars (around £474,870) in January 2023. It also sold Diana’s Attallah Cross to Kim Kardashian in the Royal and Noble auction in London in January for £163,800. Speaking about the jumper, Sotheby’s global head of fashion and accessories Cynthia Houlton said: “This exceptional garment, meticulously preserved, carries the whispers of Princess Diana’s grace, charm, and her keen eye for fashion.” Read More Gongs, chanting and Celtic Shamanism: What I learnt from a day at the Glastonbury Healing Field A woman stopped cleaning after her husband accused her of doing ‘nothing’. Then she filmed the results Taylor Swift ‘declined Meghan Markle’s personal letter’ to appear on Archetypes Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Duchess of York has urged people to get their breasts checked after it was confirmed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sarah Ferguson, 63, opened up about how she was preparing to undergo a single mastectomy, a procedure to remove a breast in order to treat the cancer. In the latest episode of her podcast with businesswoman Sarah Thomson, Tea Talks with the Duchess & Sarah, Ferguson revealed that she was scheduled for the surgery the day before they recorded. Emphasising how important it was to her to speak about having cancer, she said she thought of her father, Ronald Ferguson, and his experience with cancer in the Nineties. “What sprang to mind was my father, when everyone rang him and said, ‘Why, no one wants to hear from me – and I don’t mind if no one wants to hear from me, because I’m telling you that I am doing this,” she said. “I am telling people out there because I want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go and get checked.” On Sunday (25 June), a spokesperson for the duchess confirmed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer after having a routine mammogram screening. Reflecting on her diagnosis in the podcast, Ferguson said she was initially “really worried” about whether or not she should talk about it. “It wasn’t until we talked it through before this podcast that actually… hold on a minute, you’ve done so much work. You’ve now caught this cancer in time, I pray, and then right now, if I can talk about it publicly, then everybody, please, don’t wait,” she said. Ferguson also praised the NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital in London and said they did “amazing work” in catching her cancer. “Had it not been for that extraordinary injection in you to contrast, and it shows the contrast and it shows where to go – if I hadn’t done that, it was only a shadow, they wouldn’t have found out that it needs to be immediately sorted,” she added. Ferguson’s spokesperson said yesterday: “She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully. The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family.” He continued: “The Duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days. “She is also hugely thankful to the staff involved in the mammogram which identified her illness, which was otherwise symptom-free, and believes her experience underlines the importance of regular screening.” Ferguson, who was married to the Duke of York from 1986 to 1992, and divorced in 1996, is reportedly recovering at Royal Lodge in Windsor, which she still shares with Prince Andrew. For more than 30 years, she has worked with the Teenage Cancer Trust and frequently campaigns for breast cancer awareness. In 2019, during the Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual gala, she said in an interview: “It’s that hidden, frightening thing, the word cancer, the big C. Then on top of that is the word ‘breast’, people just don’t use it. “The secret for the Breast Cancer Foundation is to spread awareness and to say it’s OK. It’s not OK, of course it’s awful. But if you have got it or you worry, or you think you may, go and have it checked and we are here to support you.” Ferguson’s father, Ronald Ferguson, had prostate cancer in 1996 and also had skin cancer. He died in 2003 at the age of 71 of a heart attack. Read More Gongs, chanting and Celtic Shamanism: What I learnt from a day at the Glastonbury Healing Field Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has surgery for breast cancer A woman stopped tidying up after her husband accused her of doing ‘nothing’. Then she filmed the results

James VI and I was the first monarch to rule both Scotland and England. He also spearheaded the Scottish witch trials.

The daughter of King James VI and I was Electress Palatine of the Rhine and Queen of Bohemia, and through her grandson, the founder of a new British ruling dynasty.

If you've ever dreamed of living like royalty, now's your chance.