Confidential letters revealing Princess Diana's regret over her divorce from King Charles III have been sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of pounds, it has been confirmed.
- A collection of personal letters sent by Princess Diana to her close friends, Susie and Tarek Kassem, have sold at auction in Cornwall for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
- In one of the notes, the Princess of Wales
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A collection of Princess Diana’s private letters has sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds at a Cornwall auction, it has been confirmed.
The 32 handwritten notes and cards, which were sent by the Princess of Wales to her close friends Susie and Tarek Kassem in the final two years of her marriage to Prince Charles, came to public attention earlier this month when it was announced that the couple would be selling them.
It had initially been predicted that the letters would fetch £90,000, but they were ultimately sold for a total hammer price of £145,550 on Wednesday, 16 February.
In a statement released to explain their decision, the Kaseems said that they had ‘treasured’ the letters for over 25 years but didn’t wish to pass them down to their children and grandchildren.
“They have decided to sell the letters and use proceeds of the sale to support some of the charities that were close to Susie and Diana's hearts," a spokesperson for the late royal's friends said.
The letters offer an unsettling glimpse into the princess's turmoil towards the end of her marriage to the former Prince Charles, who was involved in an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles for much of his relationship with Diana. The royal couple officially separated in 1992 at the request of Queen Elizabeth II, after years of struggling to resolve their differences.
In one of the letters dated April 28, 1996, Princess Diana admits to the Kassems that she is "having a very difficult time" with the divorce proceedings after apologizing for missing a trip to the opera with them.
"It’s too difficult sometimes to keep one’s head up," she admits, adding, "I am on my knees and just longing for this divorce to go through as the possible cost is tremendous."
In another letter to the Kaseems, Diana describes her separation from Charles as "desperate and ugly", after admitting, "If I’d known a year ago what I’d experience going through this divorce I never would have consented."
The beloved royal also told her trusted friends that her privacy was being violated, making it hard for her to communicate freely with those outside of the Firm.
"As I don’t have a mobile it is difficult to discuss personal issues as my lines here are constantly recorded and passed on," she wrote.
Princess Diana's mental anguish is also palpable in multiple letters, with the royal even sharing her suicidal ideation in a letter dated 17 December 1996.
"I will top myself if I remain here," she wrote, after revealing that she would be spending the festive season abroad to offset her Christmas blues. The princess goes on to add, "I hope that '97 will be an easier year for us all."
Tragically, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in August 1997, after her vehicle was chased by paparazzi in Paris.
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