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Topics: Princess Diana, King Charles III, Royal Family, UK News
Britt Jones
Topics: Princess Diana, King Charles III, Royal Family, UK News
A letter written by Princess Diana just days after her marriage to King Charles has been revealed, and it tells all.
The 'People’s Princess' touched many hearts when she first became a member of the royal family in 1981, having married the now-King of England on July 29 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
From embracing a patient with AIDs during a meeting at a hospital, to greeting native New Zealanders in their traditional manner, Diana quickly rose from simply being another princess, to being THE princess we all knew and loved.
But throughout her life in the royal family, rumours plagued her that she was not the best treated behind closed doors, and this letter might reveal a little insight into those things.
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PEOPLE obtained the letter - which is now live via Julien's Auctions - on 30 May, and shared that it was sent from Diana to Mark Simpson, a footman at Buckingham Palace.
Diana briefly lived in an apartment within Buckingham Palace before her marriage to Charles, before the pair settled in Kensington Palace.
It was dated just two days after her wedding on July 31, where she wrote of how he had comforted her during her stay at Buckingham Palace.
She wrote to him: “I just wanted to thank you for all your kindness + patience you’ve showed towards me since I moved into B.P. My stay was made so much easier by your company as it was so terribly lonely + we had so many laughs for that I can’t thank you enough.”
There were many rumours that Diana was isolated during her time in the palace, with her own interviews claiming that she was depressed, and received no support from the Royal Family.
She added in her writings: “Do hope you were able to enjoy Wednesday + that you liked my dress? I’m off to Britainia tomorrow, what with all those men around. I will have to keep a watchful eye on Evelyn!”
Evelyn Dagley was her personal dresser, so she may have been referring to her here in this letter.
Her fresh character is easy to pick up in her writing, as she joked with the footman: “The bad news is that I haven’t eaten any cereal — sob. How am I going to cope without my bowls of cereal … [smiley face]. A large thank you for being you — Much love, Diana.”
The letter sits on the Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection auction at Julien’s Auctions, along with even more of her notes to friends and loved ones.
Whilst the letters speak of being uncomfortable, Diana would speak more about how life as a royal impacted her after separating from Charles in 1992 and their divorce in 1996.
It began when Charles admitted to having an affair with now-Queen Camilla, which began in 1986.
Diana spoke of it in 95 to the BBC, stating: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
She also shared her thoughts on leaving her husband, stating: “I think everybody was very anxious because they could see there were complications but didn’t want to interfere but were there [and] made it known that they were there if required.
“When we went abroad, we had separate apartments, albeit we were on the same floor, so of course that was leaked [by the press] and that caused complications, but Charles and I had our duty to perform and that was paramount.”
Diana sadly passed away in 1997 in Paris after a catastrophic car crash, aged just 36, leaving behind her two sons - Prince William and Prince Harry.