An historic cushion-shaped diamond with a European royal history of more than 300 years was Wednesday sold for 16.4 million pounds (24.2 million dollars) at Christie's auction house in London, reported dpa.
The Wittelsbach Diamond, an extremely rare 35.56-carat greyish-blue diamond, was offered to the international market for the first time in 80 years.
It had been estimated to fetch a maximum of 9 million pounds.
The diamond, believed to have originated from India, was chosen as a dowry by King Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665) for his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa.
It subsequently entered the Austrian royal family and passed to the Bavarian royal house of Wittelsbach in 1722. The diamond had been in a private collection since 1964.