One of the images presented of Diana, Princess of Wales, is that she was always alone. It’s easy to see how she was cast in that role in her final years, even if the details weren’t completely accurate. She was certainly removed from her former husband since he showed he had other social, familial, and romantic priorities. As a divorced royal, she had fewer social privileges and obligations since she was the mother of future royalty. Since she was a public figure of interest, she also stayed in the public eye, whether she liked it or not.
She still had her sons, she had her charities, and she had several friends who she confided in. Of course, she still had to be careful about what she did and who she interacted with in public. But not everyone knew she was quite good at correspondence with friends, some who were also in the public eye and even some longtime colleagues who preferred their privacy assisted her in taking her mind off the day-to-day spotlight and all of the challenges that came with going against the grain of the monarchy.
Her famous letters are able to give a better insight into her life and her views of the world. Like her public persona, Diana in her letters came across as bright, even funny, but also felt stressed about the pressures put upon her, even after she was officially divorced from the royal family.
Over the years, more of her famous letters have turned up. Some of her friends may have passed away, and their family/heirs decided to put their letters up for auction. Other friends have decided to put their letters into the public domain so people can learn more about what she was really like.
The letters also offer interesting insight into different points of her life, from significant moments to more routine moments where she relished some of the calm around her.
Some interesting famous letters were shared between her and longtime friend Roger Bramble. These included things like Christmas cards or routine items like how her day was or her reaction to an unflattering biography of her life that was recently published.
Letters to and from another friend, Cyril Dickman, not only share what’s on her mind, but what’s happening to those around her, specifically what her sons were getting up to at school.
Cyril Dickman was a longtime steward at Buckingham Palace, and also a longtime confidante of Princess Diana, even after she fell out of royal favor.
For instance, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, she would write to him about how her two boys were doing at boarding school. William, for instance, was always a good student, but Harry did have more of a habit of getting into trouble, even at a young age.
At the same time, she said William always did what he could to look out for his little brother, especially when they were at school together in their younger days. This included hugs when needed.
