Princess Diana gowns go under the hammer in the US

Five dresses designed for and worn by Britain's late Princess Diana have gone under the hammer in Los Angeles for a total of nearly half a million dollars.

Three of the gowns were made by British dressmaker Catherine Walker, Diana's favorite designer and close personal friend, as well as one by Caroline Charles and another by Zandra Rhodes.

The Catherine Walker dresses all fetched within or just above their estimated price of between 60,000 dollars and 80,000 dollars. An off-the-shoulder petal pink gown embellished with bands of simulated pearls, faceted glass and beadwork went for 75,000 dollars.

Also on offer was a strapless ivory silk crepe dress which went for 76,800 dollars, while a chartreuse silk georgette gown worn by Diana in 1993 fetched 81,250 dollars.

The Zandra Rhodes evening gown created for Diana, which was estimated to sell for 80-100,000 dollars, went for 100,000 dollars. The Caroline Charles burgundy wool coat dress was the surprise of the five, going for 125,000 dollars-- easily beating its pre-sale estimate of 20-40,000 dollars.

The dresses went under the hammer, along with other Diana-related items, Friday evening at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills. (AFP)