Princess Diana divorce details written in her unseen letters to family friend Roger Bramble as they go up for auction

Princess Diana divorce details written within unseen letters she penned as they prepare to be auctioned off.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a yellow and navy blue dress and jacket designed by Catherine Walker and a hat by Philip Somerville, visit the National Cemetery
(Image credit: Anwar Hussein / Contributor Getty)

Princess Diana wrote about her divorce from Prince Charles in personal letters written to a family friend.

The late Princess Di, regularly communicated with Roger Bramble and now the unseen letters have surfaced as they prepare to be auctioned off.

It comes as Diana is portrayed in the popular Netflix drama The Crown, which has sparked interest from fans across the globe.

There are 36 unearthed letters in the collection which span a seven-year period and they are expected to fetch £30,000 at auction when they go up at the auctioneers on March 18th 2021.

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Tucked away in a farmhouse cupboard, it's the first time the content details of the letters have come to light.

At the time, Diana's 'warm and caring' correspondence with family friend Roger Bramble covered the period of her divorce from Princes Charles, with whom she was married to from 1981 to 1996. Prince Charles and Diana's wedding was watched by  approximately 750 million people across the world.

And within the letters she told him their lunch together was a 'much welcomed distraction from the mundane activities that are associated with an impending divorce!' 

On October 10, 1996, she revealed that their lunch together was the first time she had been taken out for a meal by someone since the official break-up. She wrote: 'It is the first time that Diana, Princess of Wales has actually been taken out to lunch since August 28th - I am very selective!' She also shared with him the 'ghastly week' she endured following the publication of Andrew Morton's 1993 biography which revealed she had attempted suicide.

READ MORE: The bizarre detail in every photo of Princess Diana and Prince Charles you probably never noticed before

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a white Murray Arbeid dress and Queen Mary;s diamond and pearl tiara, attend a dinner

(Image credit: Anwar Hussein / Contributor Getty)

Diana, who has two sons Prince William and Prince Harry with Charles, wrote the letters to reveal her witty and intelligent hand with a great generosity of spirit. 

The David Lay auctioneer website explained, "The recipient believes his place in her story was only as a constant, always independent of what else might have been happening at the same time. He had known the Princess since childhood and has now given the letters to a younger relation to handle as he sees fit. We are fortunate that this person has now decided to share these letters with the wider public. In his words:

"I certainly cannot bring myself to destroy or even archive and forget such a valuable treasure trove from the hand of such an influential person. We have our memories and I very much hope these original and delightful letters will give the new owners the same enjoyment and, before the sale, help the public to learn more about the Princess as a real person rather than relying solely on contemporary portrayals of her life."

Selina Maycock

Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer with more than 15 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She has covered all things Entertainment for GoodtoKnow, Woman&Home and My Imperfect Life. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand.