A letter Princess Diana sent two days after marrying King Charles III in 1981 speaks volumes about the early stages of their marriage.
The letter is one of 300 pieces available for auction by Julien’s Auctions. The extraordinary collection, Princess Diana’s Style & A Royal Collection, is one of the largest auctions of items that once belonged to the late Princess of Wales in history.
Dated July 31, 1981, the letter is from Diana to Mark Simpson, a footman at Buckingham Palace, whom she appears to be thanking for helping her early transition into life in the Royal Family.
The letter reads, “Dear Mark, I just wanted to thank you for all your kindness + patience you’ve showed towards me since I moved into B.P. My stay was made so much easier by your company as it was so terribly lonely + we had so many laughs for that I can’t thank you enough. Do hope you were able to enjoy Wednesday + that you liked my dress? I’m off to Britainia tomorrow, what with all those men around. I will have to keep a watchful eye on Evelyn! The bad news is that I haven’t eaten any cereal — sob. How am I going to cope without my bowls of cereal….[smiley face]. A large thank you for being you — Much love, Diana.”
Just days after marrying the then-prince in a lavish London ceremony that was watched by upwards of 700 million people around the world, Diana makes no mention of her new husband and instead discusses feeling “terribly lonely” in her new home.
“It’s like a couple of days after she got married. She’d been living in Buckingham Palace as she was transitioning from being a normal person to being a royal and the future queen,” Martin Nolan, co-founder and executive director of Julien’s Auction, told People about the letter.
“So she had to learn from the Queen Mother and the Queen about curtsying and all that. But she had fun with Mark Simpson, the footman. And he was about the same age, a little bit older than her,” Nolan adds. “And she talks here, it speaks of how she was lonely when she was in the palace.”
The letter shows early signs of distance between Diana, who turned 20 weeks before her wedding, and her 32-year-old husband Charles.
The couple would go on to welcome sons William and Harry in 1982 and 1984, respectively, before separating in 1992.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Princess Diana playing with William and Harry.
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