In a poignant tribute decades after her tragic death, a Paris museum has unveiled a new wax figure of the late Princess Diana, capturing her in the iconic black outfit famously known as the 'revenge dress'. The life-size sculpture was presented to the public on Thursday at the historic Grevin Museum.
A Symbolic Silhouette in Wax
The Grevin Museum, one of Europe's oldest wax museums, showcased the figure of the Princess of Wales wearing the distinctive, off-the-shoulder, figure-hugging black cocktail dress. This was the very outfit she famously wore to a 1994 event at London's Serpentine Gallery. The dress earned its dramatic 'revenge dress' moniker from the tabloids because Diana chose it for the very same evening that the then-Prince Charles publicly admitted to his infidelity with Camilla Parker Bowles in a televised interview.
The unveiling in Paris carries a profound emotional weight, as it is the city where Diana tragically lost her life in a car crash in a tunnel by the Seine River in 1997. To this day, the French capital remains a place of pilgrimage for her admirers, who continue to leave flowers and notes at informal memorials.
The Inspiration Behind the Sculpture
Museum officials revealed to The Associated Press that the decision to create this new likeness came after the Grevin director visited the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed by their representation of Diana. The timing of the unveiling is also significant, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Diana's explosive BBC 'Panorama' interview, which observers say severely damaged the standing of the monarchy and the Queen.
Adding to the symbolic nature of the display, curators have positioned the museum's newest royal guest at a considerable distance from the wax figures of her ex-husband, King Charles III, and her former mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. The sculpture is meticulously detailed, completed with high heels, a pearl choker at her neck, and a small handbag clasped in both hands.
A Lasting Legacy of Liberation
French novelist Christine Orban, who wrote 'Mademoiselle Spencer', a novel imagined from Diana’s point of view, stated that such a tribute was long overdue. She described the black dress as a definitive turning point in Diana's personal story.
'The dress is very significant of her liberation,' Orban explained, 'because in the royal family, black is only worn for funerals, and then such a sexy dress for a Princess of Wales, well, that’s not common either. So she decides to wear her high heels and Louboutins. And to go to the Serpentine Gallery to make an impression, to get photographed.'
The Grevin Museum, founded in the 19th century, fills its ornate halls with a mix of political leaders, artists, and pop-culture icons, including British royals. Diana is the latest high-profile addition used to refresh the collection and attract visitors to the site, which draws around 700,000 people annually.
News of the unveiling resonated throughout Paris, evoking strong emotions even before the public had a chance to view it. 'It brought back that night in the tunnel, even though I was a kid then,' said Julien Martin, 38. 'Paris never completely let go of Diana, so it made sense that a big wax museum finally did this.'
For younger generations, Diana's appeal remains potent. 'I wasn’t even alive but for my generation, she seems like the first modern princess — glamorous, but also vulnerable,' remarked 24-year-old student Lina Ben Amar. 'If tourists come to see celebrities in wax, she is one of the first they will look for.'
In a historical twist, curators have placed Diana beside another prominent royal who met her fate in Paris centuries earlier: Marie-Antoinette, ensuring the People's Princess is in poignant company.
