A new collection of Princess Diana’s belongings is going up for auction, and they offer an intimate glimpse into her private life as a member of the royal family.
Several of Diana’s handwritten letters and cards to her former housekeeper, Violet Collison, will be sold as a part of the U.K. auction house Sworders’ “Out of the Ordinary” sale on Tuesday, July 30. Referred to by Diana by the nickname “Collie,” Collison served as the head housekeeper of Diana’s childhood home, Sandringham Estate’s Park House.
Included in the auction collection is Collison’s invite to Diana and King Charles III’s 1981 wedding and Christmas cards sent by Diana from the years 1981 to 1994. “With all Good Wishes for Christmas and the New Year,” read the message printed on Diana and Charles’ 1981 holiday card, which featured a portrait of the two from their nuptials. Diana signed the note, “With love from Diana.”
In later years, Diana’s Christmas cards only featured photos of her with sons Prince William and Prince Harry following her and Charles’ 1996 divorce. “Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and new year. 1994,” her most recent Christmas card read. Once again, she signed, “Love from Diana.”
Diana’s handwritten letters to Collison span from the years 1980 to 1992. In one note from 1981, Diana seemingly thanked Collison for congratulating her on her and Charles’ engagement. “I am surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of letters and telegrams,” the late royal wrote on Buckingham Palace stationary. “Both of us are amazed at everyone’s kindness.”
Just three weeks before her royal wedding, Diana spoke about preparing for the big day while thanking Collison for a birthday gift in another letter. “Everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations … the bride to be has remained quite calm!” she stated.
Diana continued to thank Collison for Christmas presents gifted to William, now 42, and Harry, now 39, in more letters, writing in one from 1984 that “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry.”
In one of her last letters to Collison, Diana thanked her former caregiver for sharing her condolences over the 1992 death of her father, John Spencer, the 8th Earl of Spencer. “I was so touched to receive your letter concerning Daddy,” she wrote. “Thank you for writing and thank you for caring at this difficult time. We all miss him dreadfully as he was such a strong and positive force in our lives.”
While Diana’s Christmas cards are listed at a bidding price range of £200 to £300 pounds, her letters are listed for prices as high as £1,200.
Diana died in 1997 at age 36 following a car accident in Paris. Charles, who became the British monarch following the September 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II, went on to tie the knot with Queen Camilla in 2005.
Last year, Harry recalled thinking that his mother’s death was a hoax in the first 11 years after her passing. “For a long time. I just refused to accept that she was gone. Part of [it was] she would never do this to us. But also, part of it maybe [felt like] this is all part of a plan,” he shared in a January 2023 interview with Anderson Cooper. “For a time [I believed she was alive] and then she would call us, and we would go and join her. … William and I talked about it as well. He had similar thoughts.”
