SoCal snags massive Princess Diana exhibit — including tragic never-seen ‘Final Goodbye’ dress, how to see it

The People’s Princess is getting the royal treatment in Southern California — nearly 30 years after her tragic death.

A massive new Princess Diana exhibition featuring more than 700 personal treasures, dazzling designer gowns and never-before-seen memorabilia is making its debut just outside Los Angeles this weekend — including the haunting final dress the beloved royal tried on before that fateful August 1997 night in Paris.

The blockbuster exhibit, “Diana: Love Life Legacy — A Life of Giving,” spans 10,000 square feet across two levels and opens Nov. 7 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, giving fans the chance to get up close and personal with the enduring icon.

While there are plenty of jewels, famous frocks and priceless keepsakes to admire, one particularly heartbreaking piece is expected to steal the spotlight. The exhibit will unveil the “Final Goodbye” dress designed by Jacques Azagury — a piece of fashion history has never been viewed by the public before.

Diana reportedly tried on the gown before departing for Paris — with pins still left in its straps in anticipation of a final fitting that would never happen. The black floor-length silk georgette dress was intricately embroidered by hand with shimmering bugle beads, a plunging neckline, a slit in front, a trailing train and delicate straps. Nearly three decades later, the pins remain in place.

Diana was planning to wear the piece for a red-carpet Disney film premiere in September 1997, according to reports. “We were going to make it really Hollywood, this dress,” Azagury told Vogue. “And I think I started working on it perhaps three weeks before she went away.”

The collection, making its first stop in Simi Valley, traces Diana’s journey from childhood and a royal wedding to her turbulent wedding, global celebrity and humanitarian work. And it’s bringing some of the most recognizable outfits in royal fashion history along for the ride.

Among the other showstoppers is Diana’s iconic midnight-blue velvet “Travolta dress,” the off the shoulder Victor Edelstein creation she wore while famously twirling around the White House dance floor with John Travolta 1985.

The moment took place during a state dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, and the show also features the original White House dinner invitation and menu from that historic visit.

Another highlight is her floral “Caring” dress, which earned its nickname because Diana frequently wore it while visiting hospitals and comforting sick children.

The dress fetched a staggering $520,000 in June 2025 at a Julien’s Auctions sale in Beverly Hills, underscoring the extraordinary value collectors continue to place on the late royal’s wardrobe.

Diana’s famous red Warm & Wonderful “Black Sheep” sweater, with its flock of white sheep and one conspicuous black sheep will also be displayed.

Beyond clothing items, visitors will also encounter things like wedding slippers, the official program from her 1981 marriage to King Charles, childhood keepsakes, handwritten letters and more.

The exhibit will run through May 31, 2027. Tickets to the Library during the run of the exhibit are $29.95 for adults.

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