Rare unseen private letters of Princess Diana revealed
Previously unseen letters written by Princess Diana have shared a rare insight into her separation from King Charles.
The late Princess of Wales confided in her close friends at the time, admitting "she never would have gone through with her divorce" if she knew how "desperate and ugly" the process would be.
In the correspondence to her friends, she described how negotiations over the terms of the divorce left her "on her knees", while also sharing her paranoia that her phone at Kensington Palace had been bugged by the royal family.
Princess Diana wrote 32 letters to her friends Susie and Tarek Kassem, who have chosen to sell a selection of the letters at auction, believing that the "ownership of these poignant documents is a responsibility" that they "do not wish to pass on to their children or grandchildren".
The letters will be sold by Lay's Auctioneers in Cornwall on February 16th and are expected to reach close to $160,000 AUD.
Some of the proceeds will go to charities Diana supported during her life.
In one of the most personal notes, dated April 28th 1996, Diana expressed her feelings about the breakdown of her marriage.
Diana wrote, "I am having a very difficult time and pressure is serious and coming from all sides."
"It's too difficult sometimes to keep one's head up and today I am on my knees and just longing for this divorce to go through as the possible cost is tremendous."
In a letter dated May 20th 1996, Diana expressed her concerns that recordings of her private conversations were being passed on to the royal family, fearing her phone at Kensington Palace was bugged.
"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.
"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."
Diana and Charles separated in 1992 but their divorce was not made final until August 1996.
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