How Princess Diana broke royal tradition with Attallah Cross as Kim Kardashian swoops up the iconic 1920s piece

Princess Diana altered the famous Attallah Cross to suit her unique preferences, jewelry experts have revealed

How Princess Diana's Attallah Cross broke royal tradition as Kim Kardashian swoops up the iconic piece
(Image credit: Getty)

Princess Diana broke royal tradition with the styling of the Attallah Cross, which hit headlines this morning after being bought by Kim Kardashian at a London auction on Wednesday. 


Princess Diana broke royal tradition by altering the Attallah Cross to her preference, according to jewelry experts. 

The 1920s pendant, which hails from luxury jewelry designer Garrard, has hit the headlines this week after it was bought by Kim Kardashian at a London auction house. 

The American reality TV star snapped up the Attallah Cross when it went on sale at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, beating four other bidders with an offer of £163,800 ($197,453). It's understood that Kardashian sent a representative to purchase the necklace on her behalf. 

The amethyst pendant, which was first bought from Garrard by businessman Naim Attallah in the 1980s, was loaned to Princess Diana on multiple occasions throughout her stardom. 

She famously wore the Attallah Cross in London in October 1987 at an evening gala on behalf of Birthright, a charity that works for the protection of human rights during pregnancy and childbirth. Diana looked effortlessly regal at the event, having paired the stunning piece with a Tudoresque purple dress by Catherine Walker and dramatic drop earrings. 

Diana

(Image credit: Getty)

It's also understood that the beloved royal broke her in-laws' tradition by how she styled the Attallah Cross. 

Princess Diana notably wore the piece on a long chain, deviating from the royal practice of showcasing jewelry closer to the neckline. 

"Though amethyst traditionally represents the privilege of royalty, Diana’s choice to wear the pendant with an unusually long chain encapsulates her knack for showcasing her collection of royal jewels in a unique way, unafraid to go against tradition and alter lavish pieces," fine jewelry experts at Steven Stone explained. 

The news that Kim Kardashian has now bought the Attallah Cross has been met with mixed reactions online, with some folks arguing that the 42-year-old shouldn't be allowed to own such a historic piece. 

Actress Marilyn Monroe sings "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, for his upcoming 45th birthday/Kim Kardashian attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City.

(Image credit: Bettmann / Contributor/Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

"Why can’t she leave people’s things alone? First she ruined Marilyn’s dress and now this?" one unimpressed person wrote, referring to Kardashian's controversial decision to wear an iconic Marilyn Monroe dress at the Met Gala last year. 

Others simply criticized the design of the Attallah Cross, with some even dismissing it as "vulgar" and "ugly." 

"It's so huge and ugly, it looks totally fake," one Twitter user wrote, while another commented, "It's truly awful. Money can't buy taste." 

This isn't the first time Kim Kardashian and Princess Diana have been linked. Speaking to the US entertainment show Extra in 2010, the E! reality star revealed that she was once compared to the late royal during a trip to Paris. 

"There’d be so many fans and so much paparazzi," Kardashian said, as reported in Metro. "The guy at the Ritz was like, 'I’ve never seen it like this since Princess Diana,' and I was like, 'Are you serious?'"

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.