Princess Diana’s intimate love letters to James Hewitt have reportedly gone up for sale in the US for around $1 million, sparking fears they will be made public.
The former Household Cavalry officer Mr. Hewitt, who had a five-year affair with the then Princess of Wales between 1986 and 1991, kept 64 letters she wrote to him.
A US auction house has now reportedly lined up a wealthy collector to buy the notes for up to $1m, or £780,000 – in what has been called the ‘final insult’ to the memory of the late princess, killed in a car crash in August 1997.
Sir. Hewitt, 65, is said to have previously offered the letters – written between 1989 and 1991 – as security for a £500,000 loan.
Intermediaries acting on his behalf approached London auction house Bonhams last October with a view to selling the collection, Sun on Sunday reported today.
Diana, Princess of Wales (pictured leaving the English National Ballet studios in February 1996), had an affair with James Hewitt between 1986 and 1991
Former Household Cavalry officer James Hewitt kept 66 letters Diana wrote to him
Reports suggest that intermediaries for him have contacted auction firms about the notes
Bonhams declined to sell them and recommended looking for a buyer across the Atlantic – and American auction house Heritage was then contacted.
Based in Dallas, Texas, the company describes itself as ‘the world’s largest auctioneer of collectibles’.
Ingrid Seward, author of the royal book My Mother and I, said: ‘James Hewitt has betrayed Diana in so many ways, so this is just the latest insult.
‘I suspect Hewitt desperately needs the money and he sees the value in these letters.
‘Diana was a prolific letter writer, but none of this intimate nature – it is inconceivable that these notes at such a sensitive time in her life could become public.’
Diana confirmed the affair with Mr. Hewitt during her now infamous Panorama interview in 1995 with disgraced journalist Martin Bashir.
She said at the time: ‘Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down.’
Sir. Hewitt had been a young Household Cavalry officer at the time and served in the first Gulf War, commanding a tank squadron.
A now iconic photo, taken during their secret relationship, shows Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Mr. Hewitt after leading his Army polo team to glory at Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1989.
After leaving the army in 1994, he caused controversy after collaborating with Anna Pasternak, author of Princess In Love, and was reportedly paid £300,000 to share details of his relationship with Diana.
Less than a decade later, he said he was willing to sell Diana’s letters.
A picture from 1989 shows Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Mr Hewitt after he led his army polo team to glory in Tidworth, Wiltshire – their affair was ongoing at the time
Diana confirmed her affair with Mr Hewitt during her 1995 interview with BBC1’s Panorama
Appearing last week on US TV chat show Larry King Live in 2003, Mr Hewitt argued the letters deserved wider circulation because they were “important historical documents”.
He indicated that he would be prepared to accept an offer of £10m and there were suggestions at the time that Prince William was considering buying them.
But accusations of betraying her followed and the letters remain unsold.
Today’s report says experts at Bonhams valued the collection of letters at between $400,000 (£311,000) and $600,000 (£466,000).
In an e-mail, the company reportedly told Mr. Hewitt’s brokers: ‘We believe that open market auction would almost certainly be the best way to get the best price.
“We would recommend selling in the US because there appear to be more potential buyers at this level there and because the sale is likely to be less contentious than in the UK.”
An email sent in late January by a senior figure at Heritage was quoted as saying: ‘After much discussion it was decided that the best way forward was to work with a likely potential buyer, they already have in mind for a private sale.
“They (the heritage partners) feel this would remove the letters from being on public auction for a long time and remove us from any negative fallout.”
There was also discussion of arrangements for “the material to be fully insured to the tune of $1 million”.
A spokesman for Mr Hewitt told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Hitage Auctions was approached on behalf of a representative of James Hewitt solely to value and authenticate the letters for personal and insurance purposes.
‘He has no intention of selling and is not soliciting offers to buy.’
A spokesman for James Hewitt has said he was simply getting the letters valued and has ‘no intention of selling’
Sir. Hewitt was reportedly paid £300,000 to share details of his relationship with Diana for Anna Pasternak’s 1994 book Princess In Love
Sir. Hewitt, pictured here at the Chagstock Music Festival in Devon in July 2018, previously commanded a tank squadron in Iraq during the first Gulf War
Heritage Auctions executive vice-president Joe Maddalena told the Sun on Sunday: ‘We can’t comment, I can’t comment. I really don’t know what you are talking about. I cannot comment on that. No comment.’
The Daily Mail revealed in 2021 that Mr Hewitt was now living with his widowed mother in the Devon village of Farringdon and working as a £4,000-a-year gardener at her apartment complex.
The following year, he set up a not-for-profit to help vulnerable people fleeing war-torn Ukraine, along with the son of a decorated British commander, who founded a similar foundation in Afghanistan.
In recent years, Mr Hewitt has suffered both a heart attack and a stroke, but in December 2022 it was revealed that he also drove thousands of miles across war-torn Ukraine to rescue innocent civilians left behind by Russia’s invasion.