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“Dear Dilys,” begins the letter, which is addressed to Dilys
Cheetham, a fellow humanitarian campaigner from North Yorkshire who
was hijacked by armed paramilitaries. Written on paper
bearing the official Kensington Palace letterhead, the letter
is dated 11 August 1997, less than three weeks before Diana’s
untimely death in a car crash in Paris.
Dilys Cheetham was the founder of the charity Nobody’s Children.
She worked with children in hospitals and schools in Mostar,
providing them with medical supplies and toiletries. She passed
away in 2006, at the age of 65.
In her letter, Diana writes about her appreciation
for Dilys’s work with landmines in Bosnia. The Princess
herself had visited Bosnia three days earlier as part of her
crusade against landmines.
She writes: “I could not help but be moved deeply by the experience
which hardened my resolve to ensure that the world does not forget
that those who have been so needlessly maimed by these terrible
weapons will need care and support for many years to come.”
The note was first sold by Ms. Cheetham in a charity auction in
1999 to raise money for landmine victims. It was bought by
celebrity photographer Jason Fraser, who later sold it to a private
collector in 2007, on the tenth anniversary of Diana’s death.
This valuable piece of history will now be auctioned by
Fellows Auctioneers in Birmingham, and is expected to fetch as much
as £3,000. Mark Huddleston, head
of antiques at Fellows, said: “This is an incredibly
important letter in terms of modern history, more so than the
Edward VIII love letter we sold for £5,000. The letter is
moving not only because of its heartfelt message but also because
it would have been the last ever written by her.”
Previously, in 2012, two letters written by Diana, Princess of
Wales to her stepmother Countess Spencer were set to be auctioned,
but were withdrawn due to objections from her family.
Photo credit: Pulseman via photopin cc]]>
If only I had 3,000 pounds to spare!
good lord people, let it go. she’s been dead over 20 years now, clearly showed her own psychotic nature, and I am so tired of those who rant over Charles and Camilla. Diana is dead.
she died in 1997 clearly not over 20 years ago, Diana will always be loved for all the good things she achieved.