Princess Diana expressed her desire for her sons William and Harry to communicate on a “deeper” level.
The late princess penned the two-page letter in November 1995 in response to a fan named Michael Barrett, who had sent her a supportive message following her BBC Panorama interview. In the previously unseen letter, Diana said she was touched “by the contents and by his profound words.”
Princess Diana also revealed she was looking forward to the future and “sharing with and teaching William and Harry the importance of communication on a deeper level.”
She concluded by thanking Barrett, adding: “With my best wishes, Yours sincerely, Diana.”
The letter, which is being auctioned by Reeman Dansies’ Royalty, Antiques and Fine Art auction house, is expected to fetch between $3,000 and $4,000. Diana tragically died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 at just 36-years-old.
Her correspondence is scheduled to go under the hammer on June 9.
The auction house’s website describes the letter as: “H.R.H. Diana, Princess of Wales, an important handwritten two-page letter to Mr Michael Barratt relating to her famous Panorama interview and written one week afterward on 27th November 1995 on crowned D, Kensington Palace, headed writing paper.
“The Princess thanks Mr Barratt for his lovely letter, having just received it after her return from her trip to Argentina. She goes on to say how touched she is by the contents and by his profound words, and in particular relates to his sentiments of self-knowledge and moving on in life.”
“She hopes the Panorama interview will help other women in similar difficulties and she looks forward to the future and sharing with and teaching William and Harry the importance of communication on a deeper level. His supportive letter has been invaluable, and she thanks him very deeply.”
Barratt was reportedly so moved upon watching the interview that he wrote a “supportive letter telling her how hard it can be to move on and that life can be better in time.”
Much to his astonishment, a week later, he received the reply, which he has cherished ever since. A collection of emails concerning Martin Bashir’s notorious Panorama interview was made public in 2024, shedding light on what ultimately proved to be a major scandal. The BBC released 3,000 files following a judge’s order.
Bashir was accused of deceiving Diana and her brother Charles Spencer in order to secure the explosive interview. He departed the BBC in May 2021, citing health concerns.
That same year, an inquiry found him guilty of deceit and breaching BBC editorial conduct.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
