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In 1995, Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy Jr. were two of the most closely-watched people on the planet – so organizing a secret meeting between the two of them was no easy feat.

But that is exactly what their respective staffers managed to orchestrate during a brief trip that Diana made to New York City, the details of which have been kept largely under wraps. Until now.

The meeting was initially arranged at the behest of JFK Jr. who had hoped to convince the newly-separated Diana to appear on the cover of his magazine, George. However a new biography detailing the life of the political scion has now revealed that her real reasons for agreeing to the meet-up may have been far less formal.

‘It was never made public so that made it quite fun, actually,’ Diana’s private secretary, Patrick Jephson, recalls in the pages of JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography, written by RoseMarie Terenzio, Kennedy’s former executive assistant, and Liz McNeil.

‘Diana wanted it to be discreet because it had all the makings of a great gossip story, didn’t it? World’s most eligible bachelor… and she had just got unmarried or was in the process of getting unmarried. It would’ve been a rather intriguing thing to dream about.

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A new JFK Jr. biography is lifting the lid on the truth behind a secret meeting that he held with Princess Diana back in 1995

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The political scion requested a meeting with Diana in New York City in the hopes of persuading her to appear on the cover of his magazine, George, an offer she ultimately turned down

‘She didn’t want that, but she was curious to meet him. Partly, I think, because Sarah Ferguson had the hots for him and Diana wanted to, I think, do one up on her.’

RoseMarie, Kennedy’s former executive assistant and chief of staff at George, writes that Diana was due to be staying at the Carlyle hotel, and she’d arranged for a meeting with the princess on a weekday afternoon to discuss the potential cover.

‘There was all this worry,’ she recalls. ‘Should he go in the front door? Should he wear a disguise: because won’t there be rumors that he’s having an affair with her? … They were the two most famous people on the planet.’

In the end, he walked right through the front door without being noticed, avoiding the paparazzi who were waiting around the side for Diana.

Jephson met Kennedy outside the hotel’s Bemelmans Bar in a ‘rather dark passageway’ and took him up to the penthouse, where Diana was staying.

‘He was smart. And she was smart,’ he recalls. ‘It was a working meeting. Business attire.’

However, Jephson says Kennedy seemed in awe of the beautiful woman sitting opposite him, explaining that he was ‘not uncomfortable but he certainly seemed to be on his best behavior.

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The meeting between the world’s most eligible bachelor and the princess had all the makings of a great gossip story – and the pair’s staff went to great lengths to keep it hidden

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The pair met in Diana’s penthouse suite at the Carlyle – and stayed in touch afterwards

‘He rather sat on the edge of his chair and looked nervously at her,’ he continues.

‘She was very cool – and jolly, you know, and smiley and welcoming.’

He made his pitch for the cover and Diana respectfully declined, with Cindy Crawford ultimately going on to serve as Kennedy’s cover star, but the pair continued talking until their allotted time was over.

‘I can’t remember the words,’ says Jephson, ‘but there was a degree of sympathy. I think she might have spoken about the famous picture of him as a little boy.

‘And she had sympathy for him growing up with the name and being the object of public fascination. These were things that she could relate to.

‘She didn’t see him as the rest of the world saw him. As this big, famous, handsome guy. She saw him, I think, as rather vulnerable because he had grown up in public.

‘She saw in him a fellow victim… of life in the public eye and difficulty knowing who to trust. And I think that that did create a connection between them.’

Terenzio reveals that Diana and JFK Jr stayed in touch, and he asked her again for an interview two years later.

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Diana’s former secretary Patrick Jephson believes that Diana agreed to the meeting in order to ‘one up’ Sarah Ferguson whom she knew had a crush on JFK Jr.

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She saw Kennedy as vulnerable because he had grown up in the public eye

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John Kennedy Jr dancing with the author, RoseMarie Terenzio, to Prince at George’s Christmas party in 1999

‘On February 3, 1997, she wrote John a note from Kensington Palace. I still have a copy of it,’ she writes

‘She said “regrettably” she must decline his offer and that she would get back in touch when the time was right. At the end, she wrote: “I hope” – and she underlined “hope” – ‘the media are leaving both you and Carolyn alone. I know how difficult it is, but believe it or not, the worst paparazzi are here in Europe.’

Matt Berman, the creative director of George, reflected on the deep irony of that first meeting at the Carlyle: ‘I sent him over with a bunch of covers. I would draw sketches – Magic Marker on tracing paper.

‘I did one of her in a limousine with paparazzi flash bulbs – it was her in the back with the windows half up.

‘How weird is that? They were both not gonna be around in the next few years. Who would’ve called that one?’

It was at Highgrove, on July 18, 1997, where Prince Charles hosted a £30,000 party for Camilla Parker Bowles to celebrate his future Queen’s 50th birthday.

The glitzy celebration and Camilla’s birthday a day earlier would have been lapped up the by the Press – if a mischievous Princess Diana had not been determined to knock her erstwhile rival off the front pages.

Guests such as novelist Jilly Cooper and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg sipped champagne on the lawn as a clarinettist played jazz music, before they enjoyed a five-course dinner in the lavish 120ft marquee.

But Diana became the centre of attention by making a splash in the Mediterranean, where she was holidaying with her sons, Princes William and Harry.

Wearing a leopard print swimsuit, the Princess, who was staying with boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed at his father’s villa in the south of France, was snapped by the paparazzi as she purposely frolicked in the sea, on July 17, 1997.

So, when Camilla woke up the following morning, on the day of her party, she was greeted with the headline: ‘Dear Camilla. This will keep you off the front page. Happy Birthday & Breast Wishes. Love Diana.’

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On July 17, 1997, the 50th birthday of Camilla Parker Bowles, Princess Diana was photographed wearing a leopard print swimsuit as she holidayed with boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed at his father’s villa in the south of France

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The day after Diana’s swimsuit appearance, Camilla Parker Bowles enjoyed the lavish £30,000 party put on for her by Prince Charles at Highgrove. Above: Camilla arriving for the celebration accompanied by her sister’s husband, Simon Elliot, July 18, 1997

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Princess Diana was joined on her holiday in France by her children, Princes William and Harry (above)

Diana’s salvo was the latest in the battle between the divorced Diana and her ex-husband, dubbed the War of the Wales.

It was destined to be one of her final public appearances: just six weeks later she and Dodi were killed in a car crash in Paris.

But the photographs of her in a series of stunning Gottex swimsuits have endured.

Costume designers Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts went as far as asking the swimwear brand to recreate them for actress Elizabeth Debicki to wear in the Netflix hit The Crown.

‘We thought: “Why don’t we just go to them and see?’,” Sidonie said recently.

‘They were brilliant and made them for us. We had fittings so that Elizabeth felt comfortable as well.’

It is not known where Diana bought the swimsuits. The late Queen’s corsetiere June Kenton, who was a friend of the Princess, claimed in her book Storm In A D Cup that Diana had bought them from her shop Rigby & Peller.

‘Diana had an amazing figure,’ she wrote. ‘She ordered a few swimsuits by Gottex, the Israeli designer, and some cover-ups and beach bags to match.

‘I recognised the swimsuits in photos of her on that last fateful yachting trip with Dodi Fayed.’

But, last summer, in the run-up to the final series of The Crown, Gottex claimed on Instagram: ‘The Diana suit was made especially for her after a meeting between the Princess and Mrs Lea Gottlieb, the first lady of Israeli fashion and the founder of Gottex.’

Either way, the extraordinary story of the Jewish designer, who was dubbed the ‘Queen of Israeli fashion’, must have resonated with Diana, known as the ‘Queen of Hearts’.

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Mohammed Al Fayed’s home in St Tropez, where Diana and the boys stayed in July 1997

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Elizabeth Debicki’s costume designers from The Crown visited Gottex and they recreated the swimsuits for the Netflix show

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The marquee set up at Highgrove for Camilla’s 50th birthday party

Not only did she and her husband Armin, who spent the Second World War in a labour camp, survive the war, but they built a multi-national company after selling her wedding ring to raise money and borrowing a sewing machine.

Born in Sajószentpéter, in Hungary, in 1918, Mrs Gottlieb was raised by an impoverished aunt.

Her plans to study chemistry at university in Budapest were thwarted by quotas imposed on Jews studying at academic institutions.

Instead, she worked as a bookkeeper at a raincoat factory, where she met her husband, who was running the family firm. They had two daughters, Miriam and Judith.

But when Hungary was occupied by the Wehrmacht in 1944, Armin was shipped to a labour camp and she and their daughters had to survive the war alone.

Switching between Sajószentpéter and Budapest, she hid her head in bouquets of flowers at checkpoints to evade being recognised. At one point, spotting a Nazi with a pistol, she and her children hid in a pit.

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The late Queen’s corsetiere June Kenton, who was a friend of the Princess, claimed in her book Storm In A D Cup that Diana had bought the Gottext swimsuits from her shop Rigby & Peller

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Last summer, in the run-up to the final series of The Crown, Gottex claimed on Instagram: ‘The Diana suit was made especially for her after a meeting between the Princess and Mrs Lea Gottlieb, the first lady of Israeli fashion and the founder of Gottex’. Above: Lea Gottlieb during a New York fashion show in 1988

After surviving the war, the family emigrated to Haifa, in Israel, in 1949. She later recalled: ‘We came with nothing, without money, with nowhere to live. The first two or three years were very, very hard.’

Borrowing money from family and friends, the couple opened a raincoat factory in Jaffa but switched to swimwear when they ‘saw no rain, only sunshine’.

She took her inspiration from the land – ‘the turquoise of the Mediterranean, the golden yellow of the desert sand, the blue of the Sea of Galilee, the pink of Jerusalem stone, and the many shades of green of the Galilee’.

By the time Diana wore her swimsuits, the company had a $60 million turnover and had dressed everyone from Queen Sofia of Spain and Elizabeth Taylor to Brooke Shields and Nancy Kissinger.

When she died at her home in Tel Aviv, in 2012, at the age of 94, the Center for Israeli Education, in her adopted country, described her as the ‘Queen of Israeli fashion’. A title well deserved.

A newly unveiled collection of Christmas cards and letters sent between Princess Diana and her parents’ housekeeper show their close bond over the years.

Violet Collison, affectionately known as ‘Collie’, worked for John Spencer and Frances Roche at Park House on the Sandringham Estate and witnessed the future Princess of Wales‘ birth.

Sweet handwritten thank-you notes and a decade of correspondence – which is being auctioned off next week – offer a glimpse into their friendship, including the late royal’s feelings ahead of her wedding.

Collie was a significant figure in Diana’s formative years and remained a close confidante even after she retired – even sending gifts to the young Princes William and Harry.

It would appear that their close relationship was largely a private one.

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Violet Collison, affectionately known as ‘Collie’, worked for John Spencer and Frances Roche at Park House on the Sandringham Estate and witnessed the future Princess of Wales ‘ birth. Diana pictured when she was young

Now, Collie’s family are selling the collection of cards, letters, photos and invitations at Sworders Auctioneers of Essex.

The 24 lots cover from 1979 through Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles and birth of her two sons in the 1980s, to the order of service for her funeral in 1997.

When the Spencers’ marriage ended, Collie worked for Diana’s mother Frances in London from 1967 until her retirement in 1973.

After retirement she lived in a bungalow near Sandringham, where Diana would often visit her secretly without her security detail.

She remained close to Frances and the Spencer children until her death at the age of 89 in 2013.

One of the letters in the collection – penned on Buckingham Palace headed notepaper and dated just weeks before Charles and Diana’s wedding – is expected to fetch £1,200.

‘Everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations on the house and things like that,’ it reads.

‘Family all far too excited and, at the moment, the bride to be has remained quite calm!’

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Now, Collie’s family are selling the collection of cards, letters, photos and invitations at Sworders Auctioneers of Essex

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The 24 lots cover from 1979 through Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles and birth of her two sons in the 1980s, to the order of service for her funeral in 1997

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When the Spencers’ marriage ended, Collie worked for Diana’s mother Frances in London from 1967 until her retirement in 1973

Another from September 1984, also estimated at £1,200, describes the adorable relationship between a young Prince William and his new baby brother.

‘William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry which is wonderful to watch if we are allowed near,’ Diana wrote.

Another sweet letter sees the late Princess thanking Collie for gifts sent to her young sons.

It said: ‘William found the parcels and dived into the paper before I could stop him.’ That letter is on Kensington Palace paper with a ‘CD’ logo for Charles and Diana – and also has an estimate of £1,200.

Luke Macdonald, head of art and estates at Sworders, said: ‘Violet Collison, Collie, was Diana’s parents’ housekeeper when they lived at Park House. She knew Diana from when she was born and remained a constant in her life.

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After retirement she lived in a bungalow near Sandringham, where Diana would often visit her secretly without her security detail

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Collie died in 2013 and the family has decided now is the time to sell them. Pictured, a thank you latter and a card

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A newly unveiled collection of Christmas cards and letters sent between Princess Diana and her parents’ housekeeper show their close bond over the years

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Collie was a significant figure in Diana’s formative years and remained a close confidante even after she retired – even sending gifts to the young Princes William and Harry. Diana and her sons pictured in 1995

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One of the letters in the collection – penned on Buckingham Palace headed notepaper and dated just weeks before Charles and Diana’s wedding – is expected to fetch £1,200

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The letters and cards will be sold in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, on July 30. A young Diana pictured in 1980

‘At all points she would try to return to see Collie. When she stayed at Sandringham she would escape to see Collie without her security.’

He expressed that they offer a ‘lovely chapter in the history of Diana’.

‘She was one of her closest confidantes,’ Luke continued. ‘They give a nice insight – before the wedding she describes everyone being frantically busy but the bride-to-be staying calm and there are letters about William and Harry that are really sweet.

‘Collie died in 2013 and the family has decided now is the time to sell them as they are just living in a box and not being enjoyed, there are too many family members to divide them up.

‘They have spoken to Diana’s sisters to make sure they were okay with them selling.

‘What is special about these is they tell a story, they are not just somebody’s collection. From the first Christmas card to the last, they are a complete story of her friendship and relationship with Diana.

‘Everyone wants a little part of Diana, she connected with people and was very much the people’s princess.’

The letters and cards will be sold in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, on July 30.

Handwritten letters and cards from Diana, Princess of Wales, have revealed the sweet relationship between Prince William and Harry when they were growing up.

The letters, addressed to Diana’s parents’ housekeeper Violet Collison (affectionately known as Collie by the princess), are to be sold at auction.

Violet was head housekeeper to John Spencer and Frances Roche at Park House on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk where Diana spent her childhood years, even witnessing her birth.

Sweet handwritten thank-you notes and a decade of correspondence are being auctioned off next week, and share some moving insights into the relationship between a young William and Harry.

In one letter, estimated to be worth £1,200 and written from Kensington Palace on September 25, 1984, Diana thanked Collie for a gift of some bibs for baby Harry.

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Handwritten letters and cards from Diana, Princess of Wales , have revealed the sweet relationship between Prince William and Harry when they were growing up. Harry and William are pictured at home in 1986

She noted that ‘William adores his little brother & spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs & kisses over Harry’.

She joked that the display was ‘wonderful to watch, if we’re allowed near!’ demonstrating the inseparable bond between the two young royals.

The depiction of a tactile and loving relationship between William and his baby brother is a far cry from their famously frosty connection these days.

In his book, Spare, Harry went as far to call William his ‘archnemesis’ and said the pair have always ‘competed’ and detailed physical altercations between the pair.

It is believed the trigger that caused the rift to develop between William and Harry was when the then Duke of Cambridge advised his younger sibling to ‘take things slow’ when he first began dating Meghan Markle in 2017.

Relations became so sour that they reportedly didn’t talk for weeks after Harry’s wedding, where William was best man.

Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down as senior royals in 2020 – informally known as Megxit – and the way it was handled, left William and Charles devastated.

In the documentary – Harry & Meghan: An African Journey – the Duke of Sussex admitted he and William are ‘certainly on different paths at the moment’.

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In a letter written to her parents’ housekeeper Violet Collison and dated from September 25, 1984, Diana writes: ‘William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs & kisses over Harry’

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It’s a far cry from the relationship between the two princes these days, which has famously become frosty (pictured in 2021)

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Violet Collison, affectionately known as ‘Collie’, worked for John Spencer and Frances Roche at Park House on the Sandringham Estate and witnessed the future Princess of Wales ‘ birth. Diana pictured when she was young

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Diana said the sweet display was ‘wonderful to watch, if we’re allowed near!’ Pictured: Notes being sold at auction

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Another letter was dated just three weeks before the wedding between Diana and Charles in 1981

He told ITV’s Tom Bradby: ‘Inevitably stuff happens. But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers.’

A source previously told People that the brothers’ relationship is ‘forever changed’ and they ‘won’t get back to the way they were’. Harry is looking straight ahead at his future with his family,’ they added.

Diana’s correspondence, which is being auctioned by Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex, reveals that Collie remained in Diana’s thoughts throughout her life.

Most of the letters to Collie are thank-you notes for birthday and Christmas presents given to Diana and her children, William and Harry.

These notes often include a line or two about Diana’s life at the time.

One double-sided letter in the collection – penned on Buckingham Palace headed notepaper and dated just three weeks before Charles and Diana’s wedding – is expected to fetch £1,200.

‘Everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations on the house and things like that,’ it reads.

‘Family all far too excited and, at the moment, the bride to be has remained quite calm!’

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The 24 lots cover from 1979 through Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles and birth of her two sons in the 1980s, to the order of service for her funeral in 1997

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After retirement she lived in a bungalow near Sandringham, where Diana would often visit her secretly without her security detail

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Now, Collie’s family are selling the collection of cards, letters, photos and invitations at Sworders Auctioneers of Essex

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Most of the letters to Collie are thank-you notes for birthday and Christmas presents given to Diana and her children

Another sweet letter sees the late Princess thanking Collie for gifts sent to her young sons.

It said: ‘William found the parcels and dived into the paper before I could stop him.’ That letter is on Kensington Palace paper with a ‘CD’ logo for Charles and Diana – and also has an estimate of £1,200.

After the marriage of Diana’s parents ended, Collie followed Diana’s mother to London in 1967, working for her and her new husband until her retirement in 1973.

Collie died in 2013 at the age of 89.

Luke Macdonald, head of art and estates at Sworders, said: ‘Violet Collison, Collie, was Diana’s parents’ housekeeper when they lived at Park House. She knew Diana from when she was born and remained a constant in her life.

‘At all points she would try to return to see Collie. When she stayed at Sandringham she would escape to see Collie without her security.’

He expressed that they offer a ‘lovely chapter in the history of Diana’.

‘She was one of her closest confidantes,’ Luke continued. ‘They give a nice insight – before the wedding she describes everyone being frantically busy but the bride-to-be staying calm and there are letters about William and Harry that are really sweet.

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The ‘once unbreakable’ bond between Prince William and Prince Harry has suffered a ‘devastating breakdown’

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Relations became so sour that they reportedly didn’t talk for weeks after Harry’s wedding, where William was best man

‘Collie died in 2013 and the family has decided now is the time to sell them as they are just living in a box and not being enjoyed, there are too many family members to divide them up.

‘They have spoken to Diana’s sisters to make sure they were okay with them selling.

‘What is special about these is they tell a story, they are not just somebody’s collection. From the first Christmas card to the last, they are a complete story of her friendship and relationship with Diana.

‘Everyone wants a little part of Diana, she connected with people and was very much the people’s princess.’

This was made worse after he and Meghan were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.

The collection of more than a dozen letters and cards is to be sold as part of the Out of the Ordinary Sale on July 30. The items are expected to sell for thousands of pounds.

A poignant letter from King Charles discussing the ‘unbearable emptiness’ of grief four months after Princess Diana‘s death has come to light 27 years on.

Charles tells the recipient, known only as Peter, that his heart ‘bleeds’ for him following the passing of ‘dear Liz’ to illness.

He adds that he can imagine the ‘agony’ he was going through and ‘longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation’.

Charles then laments the ‘bewilderment and confusion that accompanies the removal of someone so young from the world’.

He elaborates on his Christian faith and his beliefs on what happens when someone dies, quoting a Bible passage that states ‘now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face’.

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A poignant letter from King Charles discussing the ‘unbearable emptiness’ of grief four months after Princess Diana’s death has come to light 27 years on

He writes: ‘I have been thinking so much of you yesterday and today, knowing how deeply you will be affected by yesterday’s tragic news about dear Liz.

‘My heart bleeds for you as I can imagine so well the utter agony and despair you must have gone through during all these heart-rendering months that you have known about Liz’s illness.

‘All of us who know you-and are so fond you both-have felt the agony in a far lesser way of course, but have longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation.

‘I often think that that is the worst part of all-being unable to help in any constructive way except to say constant prayers in the background & to try and surround you both with love & affection & concern.

‘I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time; the sense of bewilderment & confusion that accompanies the removal of someone still so young from this world.

‘Personally, I believe that there is another dimension beyond this physical one & that we will be amazed to discover it for ourselves when we are eventually-or at a moment-called upon to make that certain journey for ourselves.

‘As it says in the Bible-‘Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face.’

‘I can’t tell you how pleased & happy I am to have known Liz. She was such a great life-enhancer.

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Charles (left) and Princess Diana (right), pictured at home in Kensington Palace in 1985

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Charles tells the recipient, known only as Peter, that his heart ‘bleeds’ for him following the passing of ‘dear Liz’ to illness

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He adds that he can imagine the ‘agony’ he was going through and ‘longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation’

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Charles then laments the ‘bewilderment and confusion that accompanies the removal of someone so young from the world’

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He elaborates on his Christian faith and his beliefs on what happens when someone dies, quoting a Bible passage that states ‘now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face’

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An RR spokesperson said: ‘This lengthy handwritten letter to ‘Peter’ expresses his sympathy upon the death of a loved one’

‘We shall all have such special memories of her but, above all, Peter, we mind about you & you are so very much in my thoughts and prayers at this most anguishing of times.

‘I thought you might just find a very small speck of comfort from this short piece of profoundly wise verse by William Blake and, together with this, I enclose a few ‘Highgrove things’ as a token of immense, affectionate sympathy.’

It is unclear who the Peter is that Charles is addressing, or the identity of ‘dear Liz’.

The three page handwritten letter on Highgrove House letterhead, dated December 8, 1997 and signed ‘Charles’, has emerged for sale for £1,500 ($2,000) at RR Auction, of Boston, US.

It comes with its original envelope which had Charles’s instructions for it to be delivered ‘by hand’.

An RR spokesperson said: ‘This lengthy handwritten letter to ‘Peter’ expresses his sympathy upon the death of a loved one.

‘Charles was likely particularly emotional at the time he wrote the letter, as Princess Diana had tragically passed away just a few months before in August 1997.’

Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris aged 36 on August 31, 1997.

The timed sale ends on August 14.

Loose Women panellist Charlene White was upset that her friend Brenda Edwards wasn’t given the chance to announce son Jamal’s death after he passed away at the age of 31

Loose Women’s Charlene White feels upset that Brenda Edwards wasn’t given the chance to announce son Jamal Edwards’ death.

The panellists – Charlene White, Judi Love, Linda Robson, Carol McGiffin and Frankie Bridge – appeared on the ITV daytime show today to pay tribute to Jamal, who had appeared on the show just a few months ago with his proud mum Brenda.

The news of Jamal’s sad death after a sudden illness was broke on social media last night and whilst Charlene understands that a lot of his success comes from social media and online, Charlene admits she was disappointed Brenda didn’t get the chance to announce the news herself, before she read out a statement that Brenda made earlier today.

Charlene led tributes to Jamal ( 
Image:
ITV)
Speaking on the ITV lunchtime show today, Charlene said: “The opportunity to share Brenda’s loss and the family’s loss, that was taken away from Brenda because of various people on social media who decided to tell Brenda’s story and to tell Jamal’s story without consulting Brenda, which was not fair in any shape of form.”

“We understand that a lot of Jamal’s incredible work was done through social media and done online and all those things. He was a powerhouse, he changed the UK music scene,” she added.

Charlene went on to pay tribute to Jamal’s incredible work in music – for which he received an MBE in 2015.

Jamal appeared on Loose Women with Brenda in November ( 
Image:
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She explained: “One man changed the UK music scene in a way we’ve not seen in decades.

“But what people have to understand that there is work life and there’s family life and there’s home life and it should have been Brenda who was able to choose when the world got to know about his death.”

Some viewers took to Twitter to criticise those on social media for breaking the news first.

“No family should have their hand forced into confirming the passing of a loved one just because insensitive creatures want to do “hear it here first”. Honestly praying Brenda & her family get all the privacy they deserve moving forward #LooseWomen,” one wrote.

Jamal died after a sudden illness ( 
Image:
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)A second added: “I didn’t realise that the news wasn’t shared on Brenda’s and her families terms, disgusting. Condolences to Brenda, the family and who all knew Jamal, rest in peace #LooseWomen.”

Other viewers praised Charlene and co for a heartfelt and emotional show, insisting they did Brenda – and her late son – proud.

One penned: “Thank you #loosewomen for showing the humanity in grief and for honouring Brenda in the sad loss of her beloved Jamal,” as a second added: “Beautiful tribute on #loosewomen today. My heart goes out to Brenda, his sister and their Family.”

Brenda shared a heartfelt statement earlier today to confirm the tragic news.

“It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness. Myself, his sister Tanish and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated,” she said.

Judi and Charlene went to support Brenda after Jamal’s tragic death ( 
Image:
ITV)

“He was the centre of our world. As we come to terms with his passing, we ask for privacy to grieve this unimaginable loss. I would like to thank everyone for their messages of love and support. Jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many. Our love for him lives on, his legacy lives on. Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA, PHD.”

Elsewhere on the show, Linda Robson paid tribute to Jamal for taking her son under his wing.

“Jamal kept in touch with Louis over the years and took him under his wing. Took him to the BRITs, took him out socially with him as well. Brenda did such a good job with her son because he was a proper gentleman, he really was. He was the loveliest boy,” she said.

Meghan Markle often pays tribute to Princess Diana through her fashion choices.

She recently wore an entire outfit that seemed to come straight from her late mother-in-law’s wardrobe.

Dining at an upscale Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara, Meghan wore a white shirt by Anine Bing tucked into La Ligne mom jeans, reflecting Diana’s iconic off-duty style.

Meghan accessorised her outfit with Chanel ballerinas and a Lady Dior bag – two of Diana’s favourites – as well as a Cartier watch inherited from her.

Diana was frequently seen carrying her quilted Lady Dior bag, prompting the design to be renamed from ‘Chouchou’ to ‘Lady’ in her honour.

Here, we look back at the times the Duchess has replicated her mother-in-law’s style.

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At an upscale Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara, Meghan Markle donned an entire outfit that seemed to come straight from her later mother-in-law Diana’s wardrobe

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Diana championed off-duty style, pairing a white shirt with mom jeans, and often carried a Lady Dior bag

Butterfly suite

Princess Diana’s charming butterfly suite comprises earrings, a necklace and bracelet.

She debuted two pieces from the set during an official visit to Canada in 1986.

While in Vancouver, Diana accessorised her royal blue Catherine Walker suit with the butterfly earrings and a gold necklace, featuring a matching slide enhancer.

The yellow gold design is set with dark blue gemstones, believed to be sapphires.

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Meghan Markle has worn earrings from Princess Diana’s butterfly suite on a number of occasions. Above: Diana wore the butterfly earrings and necklace during a trip to Vancouver, Canada, in 1986; Meghan wearing the earrings during a royal tour of Australia in 2018

A textured cuff bracelet, decorated with diamonds and sapphires, completes the parure.

The princess notably wore this bracelet for a visit to the Lord Gage Centre in Newham in 1990, and continued to wear it over the next decade.

In 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan showcased Diana’s earrings and bracelet in Sydney, during their royal tour of Australia.

She has since repeated both pieces, including at the launch of her clothing collection with the charity Smart Works, and a charity performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

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A textured cuff bracelet, incorporating diamonds and sapphires, completes Diana’s butterfly parure. Diana wore the gold textured cuff while visiting the Lord Gage Centre in Newham, East London, in 1990 (left). Right: Meghan has worn Diana’s cuff at numerous events, including the launch of her clothing collection with the charity Smart Works in 2019

Off-the-shoulder neckline

In 1987, Princess Diana sported a spectacular pink satin evening gown, featuring a deep off-shoulder neckline that showed off her décolletage.

The dress, designed by Catherine Walker, was selected for a Gala performance by the Royal Ballet at the Berlin Opera House.

This look appeared to be a source of inspiration for Meghan’s Trooping the Colour ensemble in 2018, where she chose a Carolina Herrera dress with a similar neckline and hue.

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Diana’s 1987 look appeared to be a source of inspiration for Meghan’s Trooping the Colour ensemble in 2018, where she wore a Carolina Herrera dress with a similar neckline and hue

Cartier Française watch 

Diana wore her Cartier Tank Française on several occasions, including a 1997 visit to London’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple and an engagement at the British Lung Foundation that same year.

At the time, the yellow gold timepiece was priced at £17,800.

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Diana wore her Cartier Française Tank watch several times throughout the 1990s. Meghan has worn the same watch countless times since marrying Prince Harry

It is said that, following Diana’s death, Prince William chose to keep the watch, while Prince Harry opted for her engagement ring.

However, the brothers swapped when William decided to propose to Kate Middleton.

Harry later gave the Cartier watch to Meghan, who has worn it on countless occasions. It is a clear favourite from her inherited collection.

Strappy red dress 

Attending the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala in New York, Meghan oozed glamour as she graced the red carpet alongside Prince Harry.

The Duchess’s dress, a bespoke design by Carolina Herrera, was reminiscent of one worn by Princess Diana.

In 1995, the late princess attended a swanky dinner party in Argentina, donning a strappy scarlet dress by Catherine Walker.

The glamorous lace mini dress incorporated a plunging off-the-shoulder neckline and strap detailing, creating a distinctive aesthetic.

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In 1995, Diana wowed in a strappy scarlet dress by Catherine Walker for a swanky dinner in Argentina. Meghan opted for a Carolina Herrera dress with a similar neckline at the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala in New York

Aquamarine ring

Among Diana’s extensive jewellery collection was a striking emerald-cut cocktail ring.

The piece, a gift from Lucia Flecha de Lima, was made by Asprey in the 1990s.

She memorably teamed the ring with a blue one-shoulder Versace dress for a fundraising gala in Sydney, Australia, in 1996.

Diana wore the emerald-cut design only on one other occasion: a party celebrating the launch of her dress auction at Christie’s, in London, the following year.

Meghan re-introduced this stunning ring, last worn in 1997, on her wedding day.

She paired the jewel with a sleek Stella McCartney ivory gown for her evening reception at Frogmore House.

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Diana owned a collection of aquamarines, including a striking emerald-cut cocktail ring

White pencil dress 

During her 2018 royal tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, Meghan opted for a sophisticated white pencil dress by Karen Gee.

The simple, figure-hugging design echoed one worn by her late mother-in-law, some two decades earlier, in 1995.

Hailing from Versace, Diana’s dress incorporated a near identical neckline and silhouette, albeit with a slightly shorter length.

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Meghan’s simple, figure-hugging dress, worn in 2018, echoed one that her late mother-in-law showcased in 1995

The BBC was last night under fire for blowing more than £600,000 on a legal battle to keep documents linked to the Martin Bashir scandal under wraps.

It comes as the Mail on Sunday can reveal that a judge has criticised the Corporation for a second time over its three-year campaign to keep swathes of emails secret.

In a series of stinging remarks, Judge Brian Kennedy highlighted the ‘disproportionate cost’ of its ‘burdensomely long’ legal fight.

Bashir’s 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana, in which the princess famously declared ‘there are three of us in this marriage’ – referring to Camilla, was a global scoop.

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Diana pictured during the Martin Bashir interview for BBC Panorama on November 20, 1995

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Martin Bashir’s 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana with Princess Diana was a global scoop

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The Corporation spent £536,000 on legal fees and £75,637 on unspecified ‘support services’ (Pictured, a general view of the BBC headquarters)

It later emerged that Bashir had shown Diana’s brother Earl Spencer forged bank statements to make Diana think her inner circle was selling her secrets.

An inquiry by Lord Dyson concluded that the BBC had covered up Bashir’s deceit but investigative journalist Andy Webb believed the BBC had not released all of its incriminating evidence. In June 2021, Mr Webb requested internal BBC emails sent between September 2020 and November 2020 that related to the Bashir scandal. After a long-running freedom of information battle, during which it was criticised by Judge Kennedy, the Corporation finally released 10,000 pages of heavily redacted documents earlier this year.

Many key passages were, however, blotted out, with more than 3,400 pages partially or fully redacted.

Now, in a new judgment obtained by the MoS, Judge Kennedy KC dismissed Mr Webb’s bid to force the BBC to disclose much of the material it had withheld – but he also again criticised the Corporation’s failure to properly search its files for the information the journalist had requested.

He wrote: ‘The journey on which the BBC has taken the appellant (and then the Tribunal) has been arduously and burdensomely long and hard.

‘It has also come at a disproportionate cost – not only in terms of significant delay to the administration of justice but also in terms of expense to the public purse and to public confidence in the ability of the public service broadcaster to deal with and answer legitimate information requests in a responsible, accountable and adequate way.’

The Corporation spent £536,000 on legal fees and £75,637 on unspecified ‘support services’.

Last night Mr Webb said: ‘Will there be any internal fallout from the judge’s criticisms? I suspect not.’ The BBC said it accepts ‘errors were made’ and took ‘extensive steps’ to rectify them.

Holly Willoughby, 41, jumped to defend best pal Phillip Schofield after Eamonn Holmes said he is ‘renowned for snubbing people’

Holly Willoughby has rushed to defend Phillip Schofield after Eamonn Holmes’ “below the belt” dig.

Eamonn, 62, claimed that Philip was “renowned for snubbing people” after he allegedly cut off Eamonn’s wife Ruth Langsford on Loose Women.

A source told OK! that Holly, 41, who has worked beside Phil for over 10 years, felt the need to “rally” around him.

“Phil’s This Morning family are rallying around him after the comments, none more so than Holly,” the insider said.

“It’s no secret there is no love lost between Phil and Eamonn but Holly felt she had to defend her ‘work husband’ after all the support he’s shown her over the years, particularly on the week he celebrated 40 years in showbiz.

Phillip Schofield supported Holly Willoughby at the launch of her Wylde Moon perfume ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Wyl)

The pair have presented This Morning together for years ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“She thought the comments were very below the belt”, she added.

Eamonn’s comments were made when he was asked about a clip of Phil cutting off Ruth during a live link to Loose Women.

He replied: “Phillip is renowned for snubbing people.

“He’s very passive-aggressive. It’s up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I was feeling hurt for her. No one would have snubbed me like that.”

Eamonn said that Phillip ‘snubs’ people
He joked: “I have a good Belfast street fighter in me… I would be direct. I don’t go for presenters who think they have a special privilege or aura or influence.”

The comments came after Eamonn reignited his feud with Phil, two years after Ruth launched an official complaint about him to bosses.

Holly credited Phillip for her own success within television after he celebrated 40 years in the industry this week.

Phil celebrated 40 years in the industry ( 
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Instagram)She said: “Without a doubt, it if wasn’t for you, there is no way that I’d be doing This Morning today and I came onto the show and I was green and new.

“I knew how to do a bit of telly because I’d done Saturday morning but This Morning is a huge, grown-up, important, big telly show and I just sat there like a sponge and absorbed everything and learn everything.

Eamonn jumped to defend his wife Ruth Langsford
“[Phillip is] so generous, so kind, so patient, willing to guide me through.

“He still does it now, I’ll still look at him and go, ‘You do this bit,’ and he never looks at me like, ‘Really? Come on.’”

The pair were seen hugging at Holly’s Wylde Moon’s perfume launch.

Philip presented the show alone after his co-presenter Fern Britton left the show in 2009 after an alleged feud between the pair.

There were claims that she found out she was being paid £250,000 a year less than Phil – despite them working together.

In a clip, Phil appears to cut Ruth off – which Eamonn wasn’t impressed by ( 
Image:
ITV)
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However, Fern shared a pre-recorded message to her former presenting husband where she congratulated him for his time on the show.

“Forty years is an incredible milestone and it’s time for you to stop and look back and see all that you have achieved and be proud of it.

“So I’m wishing you a very happy future. Congratulations and keep going,” she added.

After Fern left, Phil suggested Holly stepped in as her replacement.

It was just after 11pm on a Saturday night on August 30, 1997.

My wife, Jill and I had returned from a night out at the pictures watching a just released movie – The Full Monty.

No sooner had I put the key in the lock than my mobile phone rang.

A contact rang to tell me there had been a ‘bit of a bump’ in a car in which Princess Diana was a passenger.

Little did I realise then that this was a night that I would never forget for the rest of my life and the awful events prey on my mind even now.

She had left the Ritz in Paris, with Dodi Al Fayed (the son of the hotel’s owner Mohammed Al Fayed), chauffeur Henri Paul and Dodi’s English bodyguard Trevor Rees Jones.

He told me there were no more details yet, but I knew that even a bump involving the Princess was going to keep me busy the following morning.

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Princess Diana seen in St Tropez just a few weeks before her death in Paris

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The last ever photo taken of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed in the Mercedes car in which they were killed a short time later, on August 31, 1997

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Drunk chauffeur Henri Paul seen at the wheel of the car alongside bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, as Diana and Dodi sit in the back

That was the first of dozens and dozens of phone calls that night which resulted in no sleep. Each phone call told me at every stage just how bad it had become.

I rang my news editor and editor at home in the early hours as we found out that Diana and Dodi were in the car and Dodi was probably dead.

Henri Paul had also been killed and Diana was in a very bad way.

Paul had been driving the black bulletproof Mercedes 280SL that was chosen for the fateful journey.

He lost control in the underpass at the Pont D’Alma tunnel and the car horribly crashed.

Both he and Dodi were killed instantly.

Despite efforts to save her, Diana was pronounced dead at 4:00 a.m. French time, after suffering from a stroke in La Pitié Salpêtriére Hospital, Paris. Only Trevor Rees Jones survived.

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The wreckage of the car that killed Diana was taken out of the Alma underpass

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The ambulance that took Princess Diana to the hospital on the night of the crash

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Charles Rae, in the pale blue polo shirt, seen chatting to Princess Diana during her holiday in St Tropez

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Diana and her boys, Prince William and Prince Harry, stayed at the Castle St Therese – owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed – in the billionaire’s playground of  St. Tropez, France

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Prince Harry seen in St Tropez driving a jet ski as his mother Princess Diana sits on the back

At around 3am another telephone call from my contact told me that Diana was dead.

The call came just before it was officially announced by the then foreign secretary Robin Cook.

For the next eight days, I worked almost non-stop.

I was not a close friend of the Princess, but we knew each other well.

Over the previous few years, we had had many conversations. My deep sadness and anger that she was taken so young has not lessened over the years

The sad and tragic fact is the couple were killed because Paul, who should not have been on duty that night, had been drinking and drove at high speed in an attempt to show off his driving skills.

The subsequent inquest confirmed the presence of alcohol in his blood.

Police bodyguards I have spoken to about this matter all say that had they been on duty with the Princess that fateful night, they would never have let her get into that car.

But police bodyguards had been removed from Diana on her separation from Prince Charles. This was at Diana’s request and not a removal of a perk by the Queen.

Only a couple of weeks before, I had gone down to St Tropez because Diana was on holiday with William and Harry.

Her host was the controversial Harrods boss Al Fayed, at his impressive ‘Castle St Therese’ in St Tropez in the south of France.

This was a 10-bedroom, cream villa set amid a 10-acre estate perched on cliffs overlooking the azure sea.

From the estate, a long flight of steps led to the sea, a private beach and a pier. It was worth around £40million.

The area is the playground for the rich and famous and it is also as leaky as a sieve.

No celebrity goes unnoticed for long and it was only a matter of time before the news hit us about Diana.

Once down there, we had to hire a boat. This was one of the first occasions when, because of the improvements in new technology, we would not have to leave the scene to move our pictures and copy.

We could do it all right there at sea. We did not have to wait long to be rewarded.

Diana appeared in a print leopard swimsuit and the boys were soon zipping around on jet skis and laughing.

A short time later, I spotted the Princess on the balcony. She appeared to be in an agitated state and was talking on her mobile.

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The devastated sisters of Diana with her ex-husband, Prince Charles, leaving the hospital where the Princess died from injuries caused by the crash

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Princess Diana’s coffin arrives at RAF Northolt after being flown from Paris

With one hand she held her phone, as the other flailed around like a windmill.

The next thing, the princess ended the call, threw the mobile down onto a sunbed and then marched down to the jetty to a waiting speedboat,

With Dave Sharp, one of her sons’ police bodyguards, the boat roared out to sea, and came straight to our vessel.

Diana stood up and, clearly, she was not in a happy mood.

This was in sharp contrast to her earlier demeanor. Whatever had happened in that phone call to make her upset?

Diana made it perfectly clear that she did not want us to leave.

Just as she was about to leave, she dropped a bombshell which has never been explained.

‘You are going to get a big surprise with the next thing I do,’ she said.

She refused to give details of what the revelation would be or when it would happen.