Princess Diana's iconic black sheep jumper has fetched a staggering $1.14m (£920,000) in a Sotheby's public sale in New York.

The pink jumper, famously worn by Diana at a polo match in June 1981 shortly after her engagement, far exceeded its estimated worth of $50,000 to $80,000 (£40,000 to £70,000).

Discovered in an attic in March by designer Joanna Osborne, the sweater contains a whimsical black sheep amongst white ones and is among the many preliminary designs by Osborne and Sally Muir for Warm and Wonderful knitwear, which was based in 1979.

The successful bidder's id stays undisclosed.

Sotheby's described the sweater as that includes a "whimsical black and white sheep motif" and stated it was among the many pioneering creations by the knitwear model.

The Sotheby's catalogue observe says: "Worn by Diana Spencer in 1981 to a polo match of Prince Charles.

"This lot consists of two official letters, written in 1981, from Buckingham Palace to Warm and Wonderful politely explaining the jumper had been broken and requested both a restore or alternative.

"Warm and Wonderful sent her a replacement sweater that she wore in 1983 to another polo match."

Sotheby's added: "Further investigation convinced the team: the damaged cuff, the shape, the single sheep at the shoulders, tiny variations in the sheep's eyes which were individually sewn on..."

Read extra on Sky News:Prince and Princess of Wales searching for chief executive officer with 'low ego'

It stated that at the side of a photo-matched authentication by Sotheby's the misplaced sheep jumper present in an attic is "confirmed to be the original sheep jumper worn by Princess Diana over 40 years ago".

Online bidding started on 31 August, coinciding with the twenty sixth anniversary of Diana's tragic loss of life in a automobile accident in Paris.

The jumper gained such fame because of its use by Diana {that a} copy is held on the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Some commentators have claimed that the princess's later carrying of the garment had hidden that means, with the only black sheep emblematic of how she seen her place within the Royal Family - an thought hinted at in The Crown, when it's worn by Emma Corrin in a season 4 episode of the Netflix sequence.