Princess Diana: ‘Intimate’ letters to former housekeeper up for auction, how much are they expected to fetch?

One of the letters Princess Diana wrote to Violet Collison shows the close relationship Prince William and Prince Harry had as children, Princess Diana wrote the letter in September 1984 to thank her former housekeeper for a gift to Prince Harry. In the letter, she said: “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry.”

Princess Diana wrote another letter to Violet Collison on Buckingham Palace notepaper only three weeks before she married King Charles, the then Prince Charles. In this letter, she said:” Everyone frantically busy here doing last-minute decorations,” and also added that “The bride--to-be has remained quite calm.”

Sworders are the auction house who are handling the sale of the Princess Diana letters to her former housekeeper on 30 July. Luke Macdonald, head of art and estates at Sowrders told CNN that “(Collison) was a constant in Diana’s life, and remained aso for all her life.” He also said that “For Diana, she was always there.”

The letters have estimated sale prices between £800 to £12000 but they are expected to sell for a lot more. According to Sworders website, “Violet Collison, the head housekeeper to John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and his wife, Frances Ruth Roche, at Park House on the Sandringham Estate, played a significant role in the Spencer household. She witnessed the births of four Spencer children—Sarah, Jane, Diana (later Diana, Princess of Wales), and Charles. After the Spencers' marriage ended, Collison followed Frances to London in 1967, working for Frances and Peter Shand Kydd until her retirement in 1973. Collie remained close to Frances and the Spencer children until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.”

In June 2024, a collection of dresses, accessories and keepsakes belonging to Princess Diana sold at auction for £4 million. The collection was part of the Princess Diana’s Elegance & A Royal Collection’ and was based in Los Angeles. Pieces included dresses from some of her favourite designers, including Catherine Walker and Victor Edlestein. One off-the shoulder evening dress by Victor Edelstein sold for £720,000, which was four and a half times its original lower estimate.

In February 2024, a collection of 32 letters written by Princess Diana sold for £145,550 at an auction in Cornwall. The letters were written to her close friends, Susie and Tarek Kassem who kept them for more than 25 years. One of the letters sold for £23,000, in this letter Princess Diana spoke about her fear that her phone line was bugged. 

Princess Diana’s son Prince Harry spoke about his mother and phone hacking in the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial and said: It’s the same with my mother, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid 90s, probably one of the first people to be hacked. And yet, still today, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as paranoid. But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right in what was happening to her. And she is not around today to find out the truth.”