Princess Diana’s playful sense of humour has been revealed in a series of personal letters and postcards to actor Terence Stamp that are set to go up for auction later this month.
Several notes written by the late Princess of Wales have resurfaced as part of an auction of Stamp’s personal collection, with the correspondence expected to attract significant interest from royal fans and collectors alike.
Stamp, known for roles in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Superman II, died in August 2025 aged 87. Items from his estate will be auctioned by Bonhams on June 15.
Among the collection is a letter dated October 1991 in which Diana thanked Stamp for hosting her for lunch and reflected on her personal struggles.
“Not many people would take the time and trouble to delve into such a complex situation… Three cheers for Prozac, not the American variety I hasten to add!”
The note concluded: “Lots of love Terence and a huge thank you, from Diana x”.
The letter is expected to sell for between £1,500 ($2,860) and £2,000 ($3,800).
Other items revealed a lighter side of the princess. One postcard sent to Stamp featured the caption: “All the Breast from London”, alongside an image of a bare female breast, while another joke postcard asked: “Why did God invent SEX?”
Inside the card the answer read: “So that married people do something at least twice a year”.
Diana also thanked her friend for the champagne at “lunch a la yeast” before signing off.
The pair developed a friendship after being introduced by art dealer Oliver Hoare.
Writing in his 2017 memoir, Stamp said Diana valued having someone outside royal circles to talk to.
“She just wanted somebody to talk to that was a guy who would give her objective opinions,” he wrote.
“Because of that, we just kind of opened up to each other.”
Reflecting on her personal struggles, Stamp added: “I saw the sadness in her because… she was a believer in the marriage and all that, and it didn’t turn out the way she expected it to.”
The auction will feature a wide range of memorabilia from the actor’s career, including scripts, costumes, photographs and furniture.
Ahead of the sale, Bonhams’ head of popular culture Claire Tole-Moir described Stamp as a major cultural figure.
“Terence Stamp was not only an incredible actor whose long and varied career gave us many celebrated performances, he was also a defining figure of London in the swinging Sixties, emblematic of a certain style and charm,” she said.
Image: Bonhams
