Express. Sold for £240,000...the dress that Princess Diana dazzled in with John Travolta

The dress worn by the Princess Diana when she danced with Hollywood heart-throb John Travolta went for £240,000 yesterday - to a British man who wanted to put a smile on his wife's face.

Diana captivated the world when she wore the stunning off-the-shoulder midnight blue velvet gown at the White House during a visit in 1985.

Iconic It was the star lot at a sale of 10 of her most iconic dresses at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London.

They were originally sold to raise money for charity after Diana's divorce from Prince Charles in 1996 when the velvet Victor Edelstein dress fetched £100,000.

It became the world's most sought-after evening dress after Travolta twirled her around the dance floor for 20 minutes to a medley of songs from his Grease and Saturday Night Fever films.

American Maureen Rorech Dunkel bought the dresses but after Diana's death in 1997 she decided to exhibit them to raise money for good causes.

The collection, dubbed Fit For a Princess, brought in a total of £862,800 yesterday.