The story behind Princess Diana's controversial Met Gala dress

Long before Kim Kardashian and her Marilyn Monroe dress walked the red carpet, Princess Diana actually attended the Met Gala in a dress that also caused a little but of controversy.

Why? Because it was deemed quite revealing for a royal at the time, even though it was after she was divorced from Prince Charles.

She wore the lingerie-inspired gown (main picture) in December 1996 - before the event was held on the 1st Monday in May. As that year's exhibition celebrated Christian Dior, Diana chose a gown designed by John Galliano for the French fashion house.

It was made of navy blue silk and had a black lace trim, and she wore it with a matching silk robe, and her favourite pearl and sapphire necklace.

Aside from the Revenge dress, this was one of Princess Diana's most iconic looks, dubbed her second revenge dress.

The royal reportedly worried that the gown was so revealing that it would embarrass her sons William and Harry, but luckily she wore it anyway.

Eloise Moran, author of The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying To Tell Us Through Her Clothes, told Yahoo!, 'That was one of her most shocking dresses. But I thought she looked fabulous. She just looks so happy and confident. I think she was embracing it and enjoying it. She knew she could never get rid of the attention and the spotlight on her, but I think she was positioning it in a different way, as a kind of international megastar, Marilyn Monroe-type icon rather than a member of the royal family. And I think the dress really reflected that.'