Princess Diana's Ford Escort sells for over P42-M at auction | ABS-CBN

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Princess Diana's Ford Escort sells for over P42-M at auction

Princess Diana's Ford Escort sells for over P42-M at auction

Deutsche Welle

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An undated file picture shows British Princess Diana after being welcomed in traditional Hindu manner upon her arrival at the Hindu temple Neasden, northern London, England. EPA
An undated file picture shows British Princess Diana after being welcomed in traditional Hindu manner upon her arrival at the Hindu temple Neasden, northern London, England. EPA

A car used and driven by Diana, Princess of Wales, sold for a whopping £650,000 (around P42,660,150) at an auction over the weekend.

The late British Royal was often seen driving the Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 around Chelsea and Kensington in London, sometimes with Prince William sitting in a special car seat in the back.

Diana liked driving herself around, which meant her bodyguard was relegated to the passenger seat.

The people's princess always shunned fancy royal cars.

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For the princess to drive the vehicle was "a very brave choice," Arwel Richards, classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, said.

"All the other members of the royal family would be driving around London in the back... of an official car... and she's driving in a car... that you would see on a housing estate not outside the palace," Richards said.

Diana preferred to use her own car instead of the royal family's stately Rolls-Royces and Daimlers.

The Escort was not a luxury vehicle but one of the UK's best-selling cars, although the RS Turbo was something special and out of reach of many less wealthy Escort drivers.

Ford specially adapted it for Diana to make it more discreet with features such as a second rear view mirror (so her security detail could keep an eye on cars behind from the passenger seat if she was driving) and a radio in the glove box.

It was also painted black at the palace's request to make it more inconspicuous — Ford typically only sold the exclusive, sporty version of its popular compact family saloon in white — and it had a grill from the standard model Escort to conceal its added power and value.

She drove the car between 1985 and 1988 and clocked 6,800 miles (roughly 10,950 kilometers) in it before returning it to Ford. The car remains very low mileage for its age, with just under 25,000 miles on the clock.

The car was auctioned for £650,000 plus the buyer's premium and tax bringing the total sales price to £730,000.

Anniversary of Diana's death

The sale comes as interest in Diana's life remains huge, a quarter-century after her death, fueled in some part in recent years by the success of the Netflix series "The Crown" .

The auctioneers said the sale attracted "a supreme amount of global press and publicity interest."

Last year another Ford Escort previously owned by Diana, a 1981 silver 1.6L Ghia saloon that was an engagement present from Prince Charles, sold at auction for £52,000.

Next week marks 25 years since Diana died, aged 36, when a limousine in which she was a passenger crashed in a Paris tunnel.

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'Paradise Found'—JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith Take Their Chemistry to Dubai

'Paradise Found'—JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith Take Their Chemistry to Dubai

Metro.Style

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Updated Feb 23, 2025 02:25 PM PHT

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Fyang Smith and JM Ibarra | Photo from @jmdibarra _@iamsofiasmith


Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11's Fyang Smith and JM Ibarra are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for The Filipino Channel's (TFC) Barrio Fiesta Dubai 2025 event, and they are serving couple, style, and travel goals during their trip. This marks JM and Fyang's first international trip and show together. Along with Darren Espanto and Morissette, the two were invited to perform for and bond with Filipinos in Dubai, making new memories and milestones together. 

Both have been generous with sharing snaps from their trip, too. As a must-try activity in Dubai, JM and Fyang went on a desert safari adventure. They were a stylish duo, clad in white, cream, beige, and brown ensembles—visually cohesive with the scenic setting. They walked barefoot on desert sand. And what's even more magical was that they witnessed the breathtaking sunset in this beautiful spot, giving them the perfect opportunity to take more stunning photographs. 

Fyang captioned a series of photos from the desert with "paradise found." JM felt the same way about the place, as he wrote, "Just another day in paradise." 





Aside from sightseeing, JM and Fyang also bonded over food. In an Instagram post, which Fyang captioned with "just us," the carousel showed them with a heart-shaped pizza, plus several snaps of them taking photos of and with each other. 

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From the Big Brother house to the provinces where they performed to the ocean where they filmed Regine Velasquez's "Wherever You Are" music video to the tourist destinations in Dubai—JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith just keep going places together. 


Scroll through the gallery below for more photos of Fyang Smith and JM Ibarra in Dubai:



Photos from @_iamsofiasmith @jmdibarra

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