Kate Middleton's See-Through Dress Sells for Whopping $126K

March 17: The auctioneer hammers down to close the sale of the see-through knitted lace dress worn by Kate Middleton on display, right, during the 'Passion for Fashion' auction in central London. (AP)

LONDON – A revealing piece of royal history was sold Thursday for $125,871 when an unidentified buyer bought the infamous see-through dress Kate Middleton wore back 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.

Whether or not the see-through black dress was a major factor, they soon became boyfriend and girlfriend, starting a longterm romance that will bring them to the altar of Westminster Abbey on April 29.

The dress was bought by an unnamed buyer at a London auction Thursday for $104,948 and an additional $20,989 of buyer’s premium.

“He thinks it’s an iconic piece,” said an unnamed man who represented the buyer at the auction. “He’s very happy.”

About three to four bidders competed for the dress in the packed room, while some also bid by phone. Gasps rang around the room when the bidding drove the price up to $104,948.

No one would mistake the dress for high fashion. It was designed by Charlotte Todd, who did not go into fashion but works in an aquarium. It was supposed to be a skirt, but Middleton wore it as a dress, with black underwear beneath.

Bidder Carole Lieberman said the see-through item shows that Middleton was willing to use hardball tactics in pursuit of the University of St. Andrew’s’ most eligible bachelor.

Lieberman, a U.S. talk show host and psychiatrist, said before the auction that she planned to bid aggressively on the dress after buying other items, including nightdresses that belonged to Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who lured King Edward VIII from the throne.

She said she wanted to purchase Middleton’s dress because Middleton was “the quintessential good girl who used bad girl secrets to catch her prince.”