The Heartbreaking Reason You'll Never See Princess Diana's Coats Auctioned Off

If you've ever thought about purchasing one of the late Princess Diana's coats for the biggest royal fan in your life, you can kiss that dream goodbye. The People's Princess's coats will never be auctioned off simply because they aren't in royal possession anymore, and haven't been for a long time. Martin Nolan, who co-founded and is an executive director for Julien's Auctions, confirmed to People that there aren't any of Diana's coats left to sell. "She used to get her butler or her staff or friends to drive around London, [in] January, February, [in the] freezing cold," Nolan explained, adding how the beloved royal would hand out her coats to the needy. And she did it without feeling the need to hold a press conference or draw any attention to herself. Nowadays, it feels like if a celebrity does something nice for people, there needs to be tons of PR around it.

The List reached out to Brittany Provance, the editor-in-chief of Royal News Network, to inquire about how Diana's devotion to helping others affected her long-lasting legacy. "Those small acts of kindness, without the pomp and ceremony that often accompanies royalty, demonstrates how Diana was able to engage with the British people of all classes," the expert opined, noting how William, Prince of Wales, picked up where his mother left off with Homewards, an initiative that aims to eradicate homelessness in the U.K. Diana clearly left a big impression on her eldest son, who recalled a childhood moment that shaped William's goals as a working royal when his mother took her kids to the Passage, an operation working to combat homelessness.

When asked if any other royal will ever live up to Princess Diana's status as "the People's Princess," Brittany Provance admitted it was highly unlikely, pointing out, "Diana was a once-in-a-century type figure within the monarchy and really the world." She did things her own way, regardless of royal protocol or tradition, never shying away from being herself and putting others' needs before her own. This was exemplified by Diana giving her nice coats away to the homeless.

This generous quality was passed onto her two sons, and later her grandchildren, with William, Prince of Wales notably having his kids follow in Diana's footsteps too. In 2022, Prince William shared in The Big Issue, a U.K. publication sold by the homeless, that he plans to introduce his three children to humanitarian organizations so they can continue the good work their late grandmother was so passionate about. 

Provance noted, "It was her charisma and that inexplicable quality only a select few per century possess that led her to become 'the People's Princess.'" However, thanks to Prince William's heartfelt tribute to his mom, her royal legacy will never die. As the royal expert elaborated, "Though there are many wonderful and amazing royals throughout Europe, there are none who can capture the world's attention the way Diana could," citing Diana's early death as another key reason that she became immortalized in history.