On the heels of mega Princess Diana auction items (like her iconic sheep sweater, which sold for $1 million) collecting well beyond their stated value on the bidding block, a recent sale of an exclusive magnum of Champagne served at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles was expected to perform the same. But when it came time to drop the gavel at a Denmark auction, bids simply weren’t high enough, resulting in the sale of a bottle of the rare Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 getting canceled entirely.
Princess Diana’s Wedding Champagne Was Expected to Fetch Nearly $93K at Auction...So What Happened?
Going once, going twice...
Published Jan 3, 2026
•2:00pm
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It was certainly a surprise. After all, it’s been over 40 years since the then-Prince and Princess of Wales said “I do” at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London as millions of people around the world looked on. It was deemed the “wedding of the century,” and this particular magnum of Champagne—of which there were 12 made in total—was produced just for that day. In fact, the bottle even features a unique label that reads: “Specially shipped to honor the marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. 29 July 1981.”
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Before it went under the hammer, and according to Bruun Rasmussen’s auction house, located just north of Copenhagen in Lyngby, it was thought that the bottle would bring in as much as 600,000 Danish kroner (about $93,000). But in a statement following the intended sale, auction house spokesperson Kirstine Dam Frihed told the AP, “The bids did not reach the desired minimum price, and therefore it was unfortunately not sold. We had of course hoped that it would sell at the estimated value, especially considering the great public interest it received.”
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So, what happened? And why are fashion items—such as Diana’s “caring” dress, which also recently hit the auction block to an overwhelming response—commanding much more? As a longtime royal watcher, I’d estimate that it comes down to the immediate recognition of certain pieces of clothing worn by Diana. Her fashion was so iconic and so familiar, it immediately anchors you to a royal moment in time.
Of course, that’s not to say that the Dom Pérignon Champagne served at the royal wedding wouldn’t do the same. Tests even suggest the vintage is still drinkable, which means that—should you be brave enough to crack it—a single sip would whisk you back to one of the most historic occasions in royal history.
Will the bottle be put up for auction again in the near future? TBD.
