Princess Diana’s fan, who was “enamored” by her, has mortgaged her house 4 times to buy 2730 items belonging to the late royal. The woman’s museum of items is estimated to be worth “tens and tens of millions” of dollars. Here’s how one encounter with the late princess changed the trajectory of Renae Plant’s life.
Renae Plant crossed paths with Diana when the Princess of Wales visited Australia. In 1983, Charles and Diana visited Australia on an official visit. Plant, who was in school, went to a factory in Yandina, Queensland, by skipping school. There, the Australian met Diana, who was touring at the time.
Plant, who is 54 years old now, recalls how “enamored” she was. “She was so beautiful,” the woman adds. She also shared how Diana had dropped a clay platypus given to her by someone. She recalls running up to the police to tell them about the same.
“He looked at me and said: ‘She must have dropped this to give to you.’ That tiny platypus sent me on a trajectory I could never have imagined,” Renae told RadarOnline. This turn of events led to the woman spending her life collecting items that belonged to Diana.
Renae Plant is now the proud owner of numerous items that belonged to the late Princess. Shockingly, the woman has mortgaged her house three times already to build her collection. Renae did the same for a fourth time to buy 35 items in total that have a connection with the late royal.
princess diana kindly called this dress her “caring dress”, she was told not to wear it many times, but she still did to visit children’s hospitals because it made kids happy to be around someone with happy colours and flowers pic.twitter.com/7jSqbfGEQU
— best of diana (@dianaofhearts) December 9, 2020
The items were bought at Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection sale that Julien’s Auctions hosted. The Australian woman reportedly bid $700,000 for Diana’s Caring Dress. The Caring Dress was worn by the Princess when she toured Australia for a second time in 1988.
Plant’s collection can be seen on the official website of The Princess & The Platypus Foundation’s Princess Diana Museum. The website was named after Renae’s encounter with the Princess. The Australian woman’s collection is worth “tens and tens of millions” of dollars right now.
The collections boast around 2,730 items that are connected to Diana. One of them is the iconic 1991 Versace dress that the royal wore while appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Plant’s collection also flaunts the diamond and pearl earrings gifted to the Princess by Queen Elizabeth.
princess diana’s iconic atelier versace gown designed for the princess by gianni versace pic.twitter.com/pAaJqIiOLZ
— corinne ☆ (@MIUCClAMUSE) September 8, 2022
One of the items that Renae has recently acquired is the Falcon Dress. The dress was a custom gown designed by Catherine Walker. The silk embroidered dress was worn by Diana during her Gulf Tour that took place in 1986.
Plant talks about how “blessed” she is to be able to preserve “Diana’s legacy.” She added how she thinks the late royal was looking over her. “She knew those pieces had to end up in the Princess Diana Museum. Angels were looking over me, and I know she was one of them for sure,” Renae Plant claims.
