Handwritten letter from Princess Diana in sale

A letter penned by Diana, Princess of Wales in which she discusses her marital strifehas sold for a hammer of £8,750 in a recent sale at Chiswick Auctions.

The letter comes in a handwritten envelope addressed to a Mrs Cotton. While letters written by Princess Diana are not too uncommon at auction, head of sale at Chiswick Auctions, Valentina Borghi, said this one is of particular interest as, “such a personal and intimate content is quite remarkable as it references directly that famous quote ‘there were three people in this marriage’.”

The letter reads: ‘If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle’.

It is written on a single sheet of Kensington Palace headed note paper and dated May 11, 1995 – over six months before the famous BBC Panorama interview in which Diana publicly discussed her relationship with Charles, Prince of Wales and the reasons for their subsequent separation.

The identity of Mrs Cotton, someone with whom Diana could share such personal information, is currently unknown. “I am afraid the vendor bought the letter from a dealer some time ago with very little additional information,” said Valentina Borghi. “So far we have not been able to identify Mrs Cotton but are hoping someone out there will know who she is.”

The auction house had given the letter an estimate of £1,800- £2,200.