Princess Diana's Letters as Newlywed For Sale

by Annie Scudder 2

As a 20-year-old new wife and princess, Diana Spencer maintained a connection to her former ordinary life by keeping up a pen pal relationship with a former colleague. Margaret Hodge, a teacher twice Diana's age who worked with the would-be queen when she was a simple kindergarten teaching assistant, acted as Diana's confidant after her wedding of the century. Now, Mrs. Hodge is putting her collection of Christmas cards, royal wedding invitations, and personal letters up for auction, as other friends of Diana's have done before. They're expected to fetch close to $40,000.

Describing Highgrove, one of her royal residences, Diana's desire to play the everyday in-love couple shines through: "It honestly won't look smart," she writes. "Just a cosy nest for Mr & Mrs Wales to roost with bright colours of course!" Yet in another letter, Diana describes Prince Charles's disinterest in her, writing, "I've vanished down many a hole — the husband having not realised — typical."

While Diana's former friend will make a pretty penny off the endearing correspondences, timely again now that her son William is a newlywed himself, it doesn't seem like enough to hand over such personal mementos. Something tells me Mrs. Hodge has kept some for herself.