A collection of letters written by Diana, Princess of Wales, to her friend Roger Bramble have sold at auction for over £67,900.
The collection, which numbers nearly 40 letters written between 7 August 1990 and 16 May 1997, was sold through David Lay Auctioneers by a young relative of Bramble’s.
Bramble, who’d known Diana since her childhood and had been a confidant of hers throughout the last years of her life, said on the auctioneers’ website that he views “his place in [Diana’s] story was only as a constant, always independent of what else might have been happening at the same time.”
The young relative said in a statement on David Lay’s website, “We have been concerned that contemporary portrayals of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, may become accepted wisdom in the minds of the public. We believe these letters reveal the writer to be an affectionate, cultivated and delightful human being and that their wider publication could only do credit to their author.”
A letter from 1996, in which Diana refers to The Queen as “The Boss,” sold for £7,200—the highest single lot out of the three-day auction. Another letter from 1992, sent the week her controversial biography Diana: Her True Story was serialised in newspapers, sold for £1,350 and recounted her “ghastly week.”
A Christmas card from the 1995 holiday season—featuring Diana and her sons—sold for £2,300.
Before the auction, a representative from David Lay’s said of Diana’s letters, “She does come across as an extremely warm, witty, funny, charming and generous-hearted person and I think that is the main motivation for them being sold.”
All the proceeds from the three-day sale will be split between the English National Ballet, Opera Rara, The Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra and the Benesh International Endowment Fund, organisations that meant much to Diana and Bramble.
The English National Ballet released a statement through the auction website saying that the organisation was “proud to have Diana, Princess of Wales, as our patron from 1989-1997. Diana had a real love of dance, as was evident in her active relationship and support of the company throughout her patronage.”
