Princess Diana wished her sons William and Harry would communicate on a “deeper” level.
The late mum penned the two-page letter in November 1995, in response to a fan called Michael Barrett, who shared a supportive letter with her following her BBC Panorama interview.
In the never-before-seen letter, Diana said she was touched “by the contents and by his profound words.” 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 the letter by thanking Barratt, adding: “With my best wishes, Yours sincerely, Diana.”
View 3 ImagesPrince Harry and Prince William have had a tense relationship over the past few years (Image: Getty Images)
The letter, which is being sold by the Reeman Dansies ‘Royalty, Antiques & Fine Art” auction, is expected to sell for between £3,000 and £4,000. Diana died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 and was aged just 36.
Her correspondence is due to go up for auction on June 9. A description of the letter on the website reads: “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 afterwards 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.
View 3 ImagesPrincess Diana shared her hopes for her two sons(Image: Getty Images)
“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.”
Barrett was said to have become so moved after watching the interview that he penned a “supportive letter telling her how hard it can be to move on and that life can be better in time.” To his surprise, a week later, he received the reply which he treasured ever since.
A trove of emails about Martin Bashir’s infamous Panorama interview were released in 2024 and offered insight into what turned out to be a scandal. The BBC released 3,000 files after they were ordered to do so by a judge.
Bashir was alleged to have lied to Diana and her brother Charles Spencer to land the sensational interview. Bashir left the BBC in May 2021, citing health issues.
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That same year, an inquiry found him guilty of deceit and breaching BBC editorial conduct.