Andy Warhol created many a pop art portrait in his day, with his iconic brightly colored pieces featuring stars like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis. And although his painting of Queen Elizabeth II might be the most well-known in terms of Warhol's royal pieces, he also immortalized a young Princess Diana and Prince Charles (now King Charles III) back in 1982.
Now both of these paintings, titled "Portrait of Princess Diana" and "Portrait of Prince Charles," are hitting the auction block in London on Thursday, Oct. 10—and they could bring in some serious cash.
According to Phillips auction house, the "striking depictions of the young princess and (then) prince are based on Lord Snowdon’s official engagement photograph of the couple" and were created a year after the then-Prince and Princess of Wales's 1981 wedding.
Diana's painting is expected to bring in between £1.2 to £1.8 million (roughly $1.6 to $2.4 million), while the portrait of Charles is estimated at £1 to £1.5 million, or a casual $1.3 to $1.9 million.
In real life, Diana wore an emerald green gown with very 1980s puffed sleeves and bow trim for her official engagement portrait, snapped by Princess Margaret's ex-husband and celebrated photographer, Lord Snowdon. Warhol depicted the princess in more of a teal shade with the turquoise background matching her colorful blue-and-red hair.
In the painting (and the photograph it was based on) she wears a pair of dazzling diamond chandelier earrings and a matching necklace loaned to the bride-to-be by Collingwood jewelers.
While Warhol chose to paint Diana in a more monochromatic scheme, Prince Charles pops off the canvas with his black military uniform contrasting against a bright blue background.
This isn't the first time a Princess Diana-themed auction has brought in millions. In December 2023, a rather '80s drop-waisted black-and-purple frock worn by the late princess sold for a record-breaking $1.1 million. The wildest part of the sale was just how much Julien's Auctions underestimated the price, with the auction house announcing that the Jacques Azagury style was originally estimated at a mere $100,000.
A pink blouse worn by the royal in one of her engagement portraits also broke records, selling for $381,000 instead of its $80,000 estimate.
Keeping that in mind, who knows how much these Warhol originals will go for, but I will sadly have to bow out of this royal bidding action.
