LONDON – A revealing piece of royal history was sold at auction Thursday for $125,871 when an unidentified man bought the infamous see-through dress that Kate Middleton wore in 2002 when she and Prince William were university friends.
Some reports maintain that the sight of Middleton in the transparent dress as she walked down the catwalk at a charity fashion show helped convince William that she was someone he wanted to get to know better.
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Whether or not the see-through black dress was a major factor, they soon became boyfriend and girlfriend, starting a long-term romance that will bring them to the altar of Westminster Abbey on April 29.
The British man who bought the dress “thinks it’s an iconic piece,” said an unidentified man who represented the buyer at the auction. “He’s very happy.”
Three or four bidders competed for the dress in the packed room, while some also bid by phone. Gasps erupted around the room when the bidding drove the price over $100,000.
No one would mistake the dress for high fashion. It was put up for sale by designer Charlotte Todd, who did not go into fashion but works in an aquarium.
“I’m completely shocked. I need to sit down and get my head round it,” said Todd, 31. “I was thinking it might not sell.”
Gibson booked, printed as part of battery plea
LOS ANGELES – California authorities say Mel Gibson was booked and released on a misdemeanor battery charge as part of the criminal case involving his former girlfriend.
Jail records show the actor-director turned himself in Wednesday to the El Segundo Police Department. He was fingerprinted and his mug shot was taken, a requirement of a plea deal last week that resulted in him being on probation for three years and attending a year of domestic violence counseling.
The 55-year-old Oscar winner was accused of striking then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva during a January 2010 fight, but his no contest plea on Friday did not include an admission of guilt.
O.J. throws a Hail Mary
LAS VEGAS – A lawyer for O.J. Simpson is asking for the full Nevada Supreme Court to consider overturning Simpson’s conviction and sentence in a Las Vegas hotel room heist.
Las Vegas lawyer Malcolm LaVergne argued in documents filed Thursday that the jury in Simpson’s 2008 Las Vegas trial wasn’t fully screened for bias, that blacks were improperly dismissed from the jury and that kidnapping charges weren’t proved.
The document also was notable for the absence of Simpson trial attorney Yale Galanter.
LaVergne told the AP he hoped the seven justices will agree to hear his appeal and will reach a different conclusion than the three justices who rejected Simpson’s appeal in October. The panel also denied Simpson a rehearing in February.
Malaysian radio censors Lady Gaga song
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian radio stations worry that some lyrics in Lady Gaga’s gay anthem “Born This Way” are on the wrong track, baby.
Broadcasters in this Muslim-majority nation have refused to play lines in the hit song that encourage public acceptance of gays, claiming Thursday they are being cautious because the government forbids offensive content.
Malaysians who tune in to popular stations hear edited versions of “Born This Way” that use indecipherable garble to replace the lyrics: “No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby.”
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