The pop superstar had a "cathartic" sort out of items for the Julien's Auctions sale, which will honour Janet, who split from Rene in 1999, and her "groundbreaking four decade career that changed music forever and opened the door for an entire generation of music icons who followed her extraordinary path".

As well as her wedding dress, another big draw is the futuristic outfits Janet wore while starring in the video for her Scream duet with late brother Michael - the world's most expensive music video at the time, as it cost $7 million (£5.11 million) to make.

Other items include Janet's military jacket from Rhythm Nation, her single hoop earring with a hanging key, furniture, jewellery, and costumes from her tours and music videos for the songs Control, Nasty, and What Have You Done For Me Lately.

"Janet has never done anything like this before," Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's Auctions, told The Observer. "We've approached her so many times, and it has always been very hard to find anything at auction from her because she kept and archived everything."

Calling the auction a "cathartic project for her", Nolan added, "She's had this stuff in storage for years, and in her homes in Los Angeles, New York and London. She's been incredibly hands-on with sending personal notes on each piece, remembering what she wore and when, which we've included in the catalogue. She now feels it's time to let go."

The items will be exhibited at London's Hard Rock Cafe for five days from 19 April, before being transferred to New York and then Los Angeles ahead of the three-day sale, which takes place between 14 and 16 May, with the last date also marking the singer's 55th birthday.