Friday, 6 January 2017

5 things we learned from the new Diana letters


Diana, Princess of Wales - some of her handwritten letters have sold at auction
(photo Wiki Commons)

Six letters, handwritten by Diana, Princess of Wales, have sold at auction for thousands of pounds. The letters were part of a set of royal memorabilia belonging to Cyril Dickman who worked as a steward at Buckingham Palace - they were sold by his family following his death. There were cards from the Queen and the Prince of Wales on offer as well but it was the pieces from Diana that really sparked interest. Here are five things we learned from this new set of Diana letters.






1. Prince Harry was cheeky at school 

Harry? Cheeky? Some things never change.  The letters reveal that Harry was 'constantly in trouble at school' as his mother wrote to Mr Dickman, in 1992, that both her sons were enjoying their boarding school but her younger boy was causing waves and then some. The letter, dated October 17th 1992, shows that even at eight, Harry was doing things his own way. 



2. William and Harry adore one another


They are famously close and have been through a lot together but that bond of brotherly love was forged strong in the cradle. In a letter dated September 20th 1984, written just five days after the birth of Prince Harry, Diana told Mr Dickman that William - then two - ''adores his little brother'' and covered him with ''an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near.''


3. Diana never forgot a kindness

In one letter, written in 1992 when Mr Dickman retired, Diana told him that she thanked him 'from the bottom of my heart for being so kind to me throughout the years'. This letter, written in the year that her separation from the Prince of Wales was announced, was signed 'Diana x'.




4. Diana shared her feelings


The princess wrote to Mr Dickman in 1993 to thank him for his condolences following the death of her grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, who passed away on July 6th that year. In it she describes the loss as 'a great shock' and told him that receiving messages of support like his had 'meant an enormous amout'.




5. Diana still sells

Almost twenty years after her death, Diana is still selling. The letters went for way over their estimates - the one about Harry was in a lot that went for £2,400, before the sale it had been expected to fetch £400 - £600. The letters brought in a total of £15,100, far above their estimates. Diana still sells.

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