The sweet way Prince Philip supported Princess Diana through Charles split revealed

New letters suggest the Duke of Edinburgh supported Princess Diana during the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles.

• Prince Philip supported Diana when joining the royal family and wrote letters to her during her split from Charles
• Diana thanked him and said it’s clear ‘you really do care’
• In other royal news, Prince Harry gives update on Netflix deal

New letters suggest the Duke of Edinburgh and the late Princess of Wales enjoyed a close relationship as he came to her aid upon joining the royal family.

Not only did Prince Philip help her learn the art of “small talk” in the early days, he was also a pillar of strength during her very public split from Prince Charles, according to a new series of letters.

In the unearthed letters it’s clear just how much Prince Philip cared for Diana, signing off their letters “Pa.”

READ MORE: The Crown's final Princess Diana revealed

He wrote, “I can only repeat what I have said before. If invited, I will always do my utmost to help you and Charles to the best of my ability. But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counsellor!”

It’s clear just how much his support meant to Diana: “Dearest Pa, I was particularly touched by your most recent letter, which proved to me, if I did not already know it, that you really do care. You are very modest about your marriage guidance skills, and I disagree with you!

“The last letter of yours showed great understanding and tact, and I hope to be able to draw on your advice in the months ahead, whatever they may bring.”

Philip’s gentle nature was no doubt a welcome break for Diana, after she struggled with other members of the family.

READ MORE: How Prince Philip kept the Queen smiling during lockdown

It recently emerged that the late Diana, Princess of Wales, had a difficult relationship with her grandmother-in-law, the Queen Mother.

Royal biographer, Andrew Morton, detailed their tense relationship in his book Diana – Her True Story – and claimed the Queen Mother was “unfavourably disposed” to Diana and her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, despite her marriage to Prince Charles.

Opening up about their fraught association, he writes, “Diana sees her London home, Clarence House, as the font of all negative comment about herself and her mother.

“‘The Queen Mother drives a wedge between Diana and the others,’ notes a friend.

“‘As a result she makes every excuse to avoid her.'”