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A letter to Michael Barratt
A previously unseen two-page handwritten letter from Princess Diana to a supporter named Michael Barratt is being offered for sale by Reeman Dansie’s Royalty, Antiques and Fine Art auction, with the correspondence dated November 1995 and described as written less than two years before her death.
“La lettera mai vista e preveggente di Lady Diana ai figli Harry e William L'ha resa pubblica il maggiordomo di Lady Diana”
The letter, sent after Barratt wrote to her following her landmark BBC Panorama interview, is said to express Diana’s desire to teach her sons “the importance of communication on a deeper level,” and it is expected to sell for between £3,000 and £5,000.
In the auction house’s description, Diana thanked Barratt for his support after the interview and concluded with “With my best wishes, Yours sincerely, Diana.”
NDTV adds that the note was written on November 27, 1995, a week after her famous Panorama interview, and that it was sent from Kensington Palace to Barratt after Diana returned from a trip to Argentina.
What Diana wanted for William
Multiple outlets frame the letter’s central message as Diana’s hopes for a closer relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry, with the auction catalogue stating she wrote about “sharing with and teaching William and Harry the importance of communication on a deeper level.”
People reports that the letter is estimated to fetch between about $4,040 and $5,385, and it says the correspondence showed Diana thanking Barratt and outlining “how touched she is by the contents and by his profound words.”
In the same vein, InStyle says the two-page document is going up for auction as part of Reeman Dansie’s “Royalty, Antiques & Fine Art” sale and quotes the auction house’s line that Diana “looks forward to the future and sharing with and teaching William and Harry the importance of communication on a deeper level.”
The letter’s release also intersects with the ongoing public attention on Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, which People describes as a “sit-down” that aired on Nov. 20 and is described as having been secured by deceitful methods.
From auction to family tributes
While the letter heads to the auction block on June 9, other coverage ties Diana’s words and memory to the present-day royal family, including a Mother’s Day tribute in which Kensington Palace posted that “We celebrate two other special mothers today. Cake prepared by George, Charlotte and Louis.”
“The end of Princess Diana's marriage to Charles was one of the most difficult moments in Lady Diana's life”
Magicmaman reports that Charlotte wrote to Diana on that occasion: “Dear Grandma Diana, I am thinking of you on this Mother's Day. I love you very much. You are missed by Dad. Sending you lots of love. Charlotte,” while George added, “Dear Grandma Diana, happy Mother's Day. I love you very much and I’m thinking of you all the time. Sending you lots of love. George.”
The same broader narrative of Diana’s enduring influence appears in Page Six’s account of the auction house description, which says Diana wrote that she hoped her interview would help other women in similar difficulties and looked forward to teaching William and Harry about communication.
In the background of these tributes and the auction listing, Page Six also notes that the correspondence is being sold by Reeman Dansie’s “Royalty, Antiques & Fine Art” auction and that the letter is estimated to sell from $4,000 to $6,000.
