A gown worn at the wedding of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was sold at auction.

Recently, a Norman Hartnell custom ivory gown worn by Lady Elizabeth Lambard, a childhood friend of the late Queen Elizabeth and bridesmaid at the 1947 wedding of then Princess Elizabeth, was auctioned off at London's Classic Week auction house, Christie's, sold for the staggering price of $48,420.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to acquire an exciting and rare example in the history of royal fashion," Benedict Winter, Christie's auction house specialist, said in a statement released ahead of the sale via Christie's website He stated in the following statement. [With its delicate design, beautiful embroidery, and exquisite sense of movement, this elegant dress symbolizes the pomp of Lord Norman's commission and the hope that the wedding of the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gave to post-war Britain," the specialist added.7]

According to the same document, Lady Elizabeth was " grew up within the royal orbit and knew Princess Elizabeth from an early age"

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"They both attended the same dance school and were both members of the Girl Guides Company at Buckingham Palace," Winter added.

"It would have been a wonderful honor to be a bridesmaid at the royal wedding."

Indeed, Lady Elizabeth was so close to the royal family that she is said to have regarded Queen Mary and Princess Mary as her godparents.

"Lady Elizabeth was born into a now largely lost world of aristocratic privilege in the interwar years," Winter explained in a statement.

At the 1947 royal ceremony, Lady Elizabeth and seven more bridesmaids stood by the late queen on her big day. According to the statement, the bridesmaids all wore "ivory dresses with scoop necks, shirred bodices, and flowing tulle skirts."

"These were designed by Flora Ballard and decorated with satin floral tassels woven by Warner & Sons," the statement continued. The look was complemented by "floral satin headdresses with ears of corn, lilies, and silver lamé leaves.

The historic bridesmaids' dresses were designed by royal couturier Sir Norman Hartnell and, thanks to great interest from collectors of both royal history and vintage couture prior to the auction, between $38,000 and $63,000 It was expected to fetch one of these prices.

Hartnell is also famous for designing Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress and her 1963 coronation gown.