The largest collection of Princess Diana's belongings have gone up for auction

The cheque is expected to raise £3,000 but it is items of Diana's clothing that are likely to sell for the highest amounts - with a cream oil Catherine Walker falcon gown designed for her tour of the Gulf in 1986 expected to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.

The dress was worn by Diana - who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 - to a private dinner in Saudi Arabia and she was never pictured in it.

A blue silk floral dress that the princess wore on several occasions is expected to fetch a similar figure while a magenta nylon ski-suit and a peach-coloured hat made for her to wear on her honeymoon are among the apparel going under the hammer.

Other items include Diana's beloved Dior handbag - which was officially renamed as the 'Lady Dior' by the fashion house in her honour - and birthday cards and handwritten notes that she sent to friends and staff.

The sale is taking place at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, which previously sold a ballgown belonging to the princess for a record-breaking $1.14 million.

Some of the outfits were auctioned off by Diana herself in the months before her death and Julien's Auctions co-founder Martin Nolan explained that the same clothing is reselling for far more money almost 30 years later.

He said: "They're considered an investment item and they're a great conversation piece. People love Diana worldwide and we sadly only knew Diana for 16 years. Yet we feel she's still with us and we want the connection to her and the items provide that connection. That's the tangible conduit to the story. That's what we're selling."

Nolan expects interest in the sale to be high around the world but believes that the items that belonged to Diana will appeal most to those in the United States.

He said: "Diana is loved and appreciated and celebrated in the UK but she's absolutely held on a high pedestal here in the US. I've seen this with the people who are registering to take part in the auction from rural locations in various states who are suddenly awakened by the opportunity to own something from her life and career."