A batch of 32 letters written by Lady Di have been auctioned this week for a total value of 141,150 pounds (about 158,000 euros). The letters were written by the Princess of Wales to her friends Susie and Tarek Kassem between 1995 and 1996, during her divorce proceedings from the then-Prince Charles,
In them, Diana talks about her feelings and the pressure she was subjected to during her divorce, defined by the Princess of Wales as “ugly and desperate”. “If she had known a year ago what she would experience going through this divorce, she never would have consented,” she wrote.
The auction house Lay’s Auctioneers describes this correspondence as “amazing, confidential” and “very personal”, adding that “Susie and Tarek Kassem, as very close friends” of Diana have treasured these letters for more than 25 years, but now the Ownership of these “moving documents” is a responsibility the Kassems do not want to pass on to their children or grandchildren. They have decided to sell the letters and use the proceeds from the sale to support some of the charities close to Sussie and Diana.
“I am immensely touched by how protective you are of me. I’m not used to that!” reads one of the letters. In another, she told her married couple about the pressure she feels under: “I apologize for not going to the opera today. I’m going through a very difficult time and the pressure is serious and it comes from all sides. Sometimes it’s too much It’s hard to keep my head up and today I’m devastated and just hope this divorce goes through as the potential cost is tremendous,” she lamented.
Diana from Wales also refers in the letters to the espionage to which she was subjected for years: “since I don’t have a mobile phone, it is difficult to talk about personal issues because my line is constantly being recorded.”
Diana and the Kassems met in August 1995 at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, during one of the princess’s visits, and since then they have become her great supporters: “Thank you for all the nice things you said to me for phone tonight. You have no idea the joy and trust that you and Tarek have placed in my life and I consider myself extremely lucky,” she told them.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project