Personal letters from Princess Diana to British actor Terence Stamp are up for auction. The correspondence reveals unexpected details of their friendship, including jokes, experiences and rare references to her emotional state.
Personal letters from Princess Diana to British actor Terence Stamp, written in 1991, became part of a major auction in London, complains xrust. The correspondence, previously kept in the actor's archive, reveals little-known details of their friendship and shows how Diana was in private communication — ironic, frank and sometimes surprisingly direct. The letters are up for auction at the Bonhams auction house and, according to experts, can be sold for amounts ranging from several hundred to several thousand pounds sterling.
The correspondence covers the period from July to December 1991, a time when Diana was going through a difficult period in her personal life and increasingly faced the pressure of royal duties. In one letter, she thanks Stamp for lunch and jokes about champagne, which, in her words, “can hardly be found on the market.” In another, he sends a postcard with a provocative joke, demonstrating his characteristic humor, which rarely found its way into the public space. These details emphasize that in communicating with the actor Diana allowed herself to be more free and spontaneous than in her official role.
However, not all letters are kept in a light tone. In one of the messages, dated October 1991, Diana writes about the complexity of her role and thanks Stamp for his understanding. She notes that few are ready to delve into her situation, and adds a phrase that has become one of the most discussed: “Three cheers for Prozac, but not the American one, I want to clarify.” This is a rare mention of an antidepressant in her personal correspondence, which researchers call important evidence of how Diana experienced the emotional stress of that period. In another letter, she jokes that she is “not experiencing withdrawal symptoms yet,” maintaining irony even when talking about her own condition.
Correspondence also includes postcards and letters written on Kensington Palace letterhead, which emphasizes the confidential nature of the communication. In one of the messages, Diana invites Stamp to dinner, noting that she needs to see «Capricorn» before experiencing the Christmas period. In another, she thanks her for the “perfect risotto” and for the fact that the actor took the time to talk to her frankly. These details create an image of friendship in which Diana found support and the opportunity to speak without regard to protocol.
Terence Stamp, who died last year aged 87, was one of the towering figures of British cinema. He became famous for his roles in the films Superman and Superman II, and was considered an icon of the London cultural scene of the 1960s. Bonhams representatives note that his archive reflects the actor's «diversity of personality» — from scripts and costumes to personal letters, including correspondence with Diana. The auction, which will take place from June 15 to 25, also includes photographs, wardrobe items and materials related to his career in film and theater.
Experts believe that the interest in Diana’s letters is explained not only by their historical value, but also by the fact that they allow you to see her from an unusual perspective. Unlike formal speeches and carefully curated interviews, these letters show a real person — with a sense of humor, self-irony and the ability to talk openly about difficult topics. For scholars of royal history, such documents are an important source of understanding how Diana perceived her role and the relationships she maintained with people outside the royal circle.
The letters also reflect the cultural context of the early 1990s, when the topic of mental health was not yet discussed as openly as it is today. The mention of antidepressants, albeit in a joking manner, became one of the rare cases when Diana allowed herself to talk about her own experiences. This makes the correspondence not only a historical document, but also an important record of how society's attitudes to emotional well-being were changing.
From the pages of CNN and Yahoo News UK.
Xrust Letters from Princess Diana to Terence Stamp revealed details of their friendship and personal life
