Princess Diana's Personal Letters To Friends During Divorce From King Charles Sold For Rs 1 Crore
Princess Diana¡¯s old letters detailing personal turmoil have reportedly sold for a shocking price.For those unversed, the letters in question have gone for over ?161,000 (around Rs 1 crore).
The set, named ¡°Diana, The Private Correspondence of a Princess", is an ¡°astonishing, confidential collection of 32 highly personal letters and cards written by the Princess of Wales to two of her closest friends".
The auction house said in a statement, "Some letters do touch on the enormous stress she was experiencing during periods of very public heartbreak, yet her strength of character and her generous and witty disposition shine through."
Letters were written to her closest friends? ??
The said letters were written to Susie and Tarek Kassem during Diana's "ugly and desperate" divorce to King Charles. It is reported that as close friends of the Princess of Wales, Susie and Tarek Kassem treasured these letters for more than 25 years.
They did not want to entrust their children or grandchildren with the ownership of these important documents so they made the decision to sell the letters and donate the money raised to a few causes that Princess Diana and Susie cared about.
Diana met Mrs Kassem at the Royal Brompton Hospital in 1995 and the pair hit it off straight away.
Most valuable letter
The most valuable letter was the one that Diana wrote in December 1996, just eight months before she was killed in a car crash in Paris. The letter described her plans to spend Christmas abroad in the sunshine and of her hopes that 1997 'will be an easier year' for her. The two page letter on Kensington Palace headed notepaper sold for a hammer price of ?31,000 (around Rs 31 lakh), which is a record for a Princess Diana letter.
Other auctioned letters
In another letter dated February 17, 1996, the Princess wrote, "If I'd known a year ago what I'd experience going through this divorce I never would have consented. It's desperate and ugly." She explained that she was being closely watched and the only way to interact with her friends was through writing letters. "It is difficult to discuss personal issues as my lines here are constantly recorded and passed on," she added. This letter sold for almost ?28,000 (around Rs 27 lakh) with fees.
In another letter dated 28 April 1996, Princess Diana apologised for cancelling the opera session with the Kassems, citing her grief over her divorce. "It's too difficult sometimes to keep ones head up and today I'm on my knees and just longing for this divorce to go through as the possible cost is tremendous," she said. However, the Princess of Wales died on August 31, 1997 in a tragic car accident in Paris. The letter?sold for ?15,000 (around Rs 14 lakh).
However, a less enticing letter she wrote after her divorce where she said she was 'more than happy to have [her] freedom' sold for three times less at ?5,000 (around Rs 5 lakh).
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