Skip to main content

Kim Kardashian and Lady Di’s Necklace

by Susan Moore


Lady Diana of Wales was and continues to be one of Britain’s most beloved icons. An outspoken advocate for human rights, she used her fame on multiple occasions to raise awareness for HIV, homelessness, and leporsey, among many other things. Though she died 25 years ago, ‘Dianamania’ seems to have made a comeback, arguably due to media portrayals in The Crown and Spencer, even being referenced on the cover art of SZA’s most recent album, SOS.


Now, this obsession is where Kim Kardashian enters the narrative. By wearing the dress of the late Marilyn Monroe to the MET gala, and purchasing Michael Jackson’s hat and jacket for her daughter, she has already proved herself to be a collector of the goods of deceased celebrities. Most recently, Kardashian has taken it upon herself to purchase a necklace that Diana has previously worn. 


The Attallah Cross is incredibly opulent, an enormous amethyst cross embellished with small circular diamonds - and cost a whopping £163,800 (around $200,000). 

Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

"We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name," Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry at Sotheby’s London auctions, said in a press release. 


This statement, to those who know anything about Lady Diana, is a touch ironic. Not only was Diana tormented by her role as a “globally famous name” (both by the Royal family and the media), but her status is what ultimately killed her. After all, if she had not been killed in a car accident while literally fleeing the paparazzi, she may still be her today. 

Sotheby’s

While Kardashian is undoubtedly complicit in this disrespectful act to some degree, it must be admitted that Lady Di’s jewellery and clothes are still being pawned off to whoever will take them. In other words, there will always be people feeding off her reluctant celebrity status. Kim just happens to be one of them.

While the everyday person most likely does not have enough money to significantly contribute to the conversations surrounding these artifacts, it is still possible to view this system with a critical eye. Maybe it is time to start questioning institutions such as Soethby’s, which has never hesitated to sell, regardless of if they should. Last November saw Julien's Auction house host an auction of Amy Winehouse's personal possessions including a vast amount of intimate items: underwear. Notebooks and infamous outfits are one thing but bras and heirlooms are quite another. Why have these companies been empowered to run such a disrespectful market for so long? When does our fascination with celebrities go too far?

Most Popular

‘Make Tattooing Safe Again’: Sheffield Based Tattoo Artist Exposed for Indecent Behaviour

 by Emily Fletcher TW: SA, Animal Abuse, Transphobia Photo Credit: @ meiko_akiz uki Recently, an  Instagram account  has been created to provide a  ‘space to safely give a voice to those who want to speak out about the behaviour of one, Sheffield based tattoo artist’. A  total of 40+ posts have been made by the above social media account regarding  one of Sheffield's most popular tattoo artists .  Thankfully, all posts are prefaced with a Content Warning prior to sharing screenshots of the messages that have been sent anonymously to the page. The majority of Content Warnings refer to sexual behaviour, abuse, and sexual assault. It is clear that there is a reoccurring theme within each submission, as many clients appear to have had the same experiences with the tattoo artist. Women, mostly, are being made to feel uncomfortable while being tattooed. One of the most vulnerable positions anyone can be in, tattoo artists should make their clients feel comfortable and safe during the pro

Now What? The Aftermath of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'

by Susan Moore Here is a bit about me: I am an open, excitable, creative AFAB who is also moderately attractive. I have a unique sense of personal style and a personality that on the surface can only be described as “bubbly” and “quirky”. For this reason, dating is a nightmare. To be sure, I do not have a hard time finding dates or potential suitors. The problems arise when said dates spend some time with me and decide that I am a rare specimen, and the connection they feel with me is “unlike anything they have felt before”. Then, things go one of two ways.  Either a) they decide I am too high maintenance and no longer palatable, or  b) they choose to never look further than the surface and are content to date the idea of me rather than the real me. There is something rather interesting, perhaps funny, about my situation. It is in no way unique. I have met so many people who constantly dealt with the same problem. Even funnier still, is the fact that there is a trope that simultaneousl

Eurydice’s Last Words

by Kate Bradley I do not want to return To sit in the stalls, Of an empty black box Strewn with petals Leave the ghost light on, Let it shine like a call home, But I will not come back To turn it off alone. I learn this as we walk Our ever so solemn path Our thudding funeral march, You think we’re going back. As I trace my old steps, I fear of the day When the symphony swells, And I land my gaze On you, yet you will be Enraptured by the sound, If you did twist To turn around, You would not see me. So I am not sorry, I speak out into the empty air And I am not sorry. “Turn Around.” You do, you look You think  I fall But I run on, Arms wide open To fall in love With it all “Perhaps she was the one who said, ‘Turn around.” On the X45 bus, back from the Tyneside Cinema, I wrote a poem entitled “Eurydice’s Final Words”, after having seen “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”.  That poem was terrible, so I wrote a new one, as my response to the beautifully poignant film.  In one scene, Héloïse, an 18