Kate Middleton dress exceeds all expectations at auction

Mar 17, 2011, 18:39 GMT

A potential buyer looks at Kate Middleton\'s see-through lace dress is pictured at an auction in London, Britain, 17 March 2011. The see-through knitted lace dress designed by British designer Charlotte Todd and worn by Britain\'s with Prince William\'s bride to be Kate Middleton at the St Andrew\'s annual charity fashion show in 2002 is scheduled to be sold as part of Kerry Taylor Auctions\' Passion for Fashion and Fine Textiles sale. The dress which is expected to fetch between 9.000 and 11.000 euros, is supposedly to have been a factor in Middleton\'s meeting Prince William. The auction also includes two dresses worn by Princess Diana and a number of items once owned by King Edward VIII\'s mistress Wallis Simpson. EPA/ANDY RAIN

London - A revealing dress worn by Kate Middleton at a university fashion show was auctioned for 78,000 pounds (126,000 dollars) in London on Thursday, auction house Kerry Taylor said.

The transparent knitted lace dress, which is said to have helped Middleton to catch the eye of Prince William in 2002, had been expected to fetch up to 20,000 pounds.

A murmur went through the auction room when the hammer came down for the final time.

The mystery bidder at the back of the room declined to reveal his identity, but said the buyer for whom he was acting believed it was 'an iconic piece.'

Ahead of the sale, auctioneer Taylor said she had been 'quite astonished' at the worldwide interest in the garment, worn by Kate for just 10 minutes.

The sale, she said, was proof that 'Kate-mania' was sweeping the world ahead of the royal wedding on April 29.

Middleton wore the dress - its effect highlighted by scant black underwear - during a charity fashion show, when she and Prince William were students at St Andrews university in Scotland, in 2002.

William, a spectator but not yet her boyfriend, was clearly struck by what he saw and the two became an item later that year.

He was reported to have paid 200 pounds for the ticket to the event which is believed to have kicked off the romance.

The price for the home-made garment easily outstripped that paid for truly royal designer robes which were also sold at the Passion for Fashion auction.

A pink chiffon dinner gown worn by the late Princess Diana on a state visit to Japan in 1986 was sold for 30,000 pounds, and a white lace evening dress worn by her on a state visit to France in 1988 fetched 36,000 pounds.

Middleton's former fellow student Charlotte Todd, who created the sexy garment for The Art of Seduction catwalk show, said she could not believe her luck.

'I'm completely shocked, I need to sit down and get my head round it,' she said. She had needed to 'go out and get some fresh air' while the nail-biting sale was going on.

Todd, a retail manager, who made the dress for just 30 pounds, said she would probably use the auction proceeds towards buying a house she was renting.

'The responsibility of keeping the dress was huge and I'd rather be rid of it,' she said.

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