Previously unseen photo of Princess Diana as a 16-year-old bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding sells for £7,000 at auction

A never-before-seen photo of 16-year-old Princess Diana as a bridesmaid at her sister's wedding has come to light.

In the photo, taken in 1978, a fresh-faced teenage Diana is seen wearing a long white and red patterned dress and holding a bouquet of roses.

Jane Spencer married Robert Fellowes, the Queen's Assistant Private Secretary, on 20 April 1978 at Westminster Abbey.

It was a year after Diana was first introduced to Charles, who had a brief relationship with her older sister Sarah, during a grouse hunt.

The image, from the archives of royal fashion designer Bill Pashley, sold for more than £7,000 at Hansons Auctioneers of Etwall, Derbyshire.

It also included a letter from Princess Diana, three weeks after the royal wedding, in which she joked that the Scottish climate had turned her honeymoon color “pale blue.”

Diana and Prince Charles had just returned to Balmoral after their honeymoon around the Mediterranean on Royal Yacht Britannia at the time of writing in August 1981.

At first she had difficulty getting into her room because of the boxes of skirts and Scottish clothes sent to her by the late Mr. Pashley.

She sent him a letter thanking him for making her outfits for her stay at Balmoral.

She referred to her wedding 19 days earlier at St Paul's Cathedral and said she could remember 'most of what happened'.

“When I came back here, it was difficult to get into my room because of two huge boxes blocking any access!” she wrote.

'A million thanks for making all the skirts and generally everything so quickly. They'll keep me busy for a while!

'Since our return I have remained pale blue from the cold while the places we went to were boiling and for once I have turned a decent tan!!

The letter that Diana sent to Bill Pashley on October 6, 1980 was also part of the lot

Another letter, sent to Bill Pashley from Balmoral, dated August 17, 1981, is part of the set

'I really hope you had a good view at St. Paul's (from the wedding), funnily enough I remember most of what happened!

'Dearest Bill, you are simply the nicest people to have done all my Scottish clothing and it is greatly appreciated.'

The archive was put up for auction by the family of Mr Pashley, who died in 2014.

In addition, there were thirteen royal Christmas cards that Diana had sent to Bill from 1981 to 1994.

The festive greeting from 1981 includes a wedding photo of the happy newlyweds.

Meanwhile, the cards for 1982 and 1984 feature images of Prince William as a baby and William and a newborn Prince Harry, respectively.

All cards feature photos of the family of four up to 1992 – the year it was announced that Charles and Diana were splitting up.

For 1993 and 1994, the Christmas cards contained photos of Diana and her two boys.

The lot also included photos of Diana and Charles

“The strong results achieved by Christmas cards and a letter about the life and times of Diana, Princess of Wales, underline her importance and enduring popularity,” auctioneer Charles Hanson said.

“She was adored not only by this country, but by people all over the world. Her tragic death in a car accident in 1997 caused an extraordinary response and an outpouring of love.

'There is a deep fascination with her life and avid royalists will always want to own objects associated with her.'

Mr Pashley's other clients included Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and opera singers Dame Margaret Price and Dame Gwyneth Jones.

He came from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and studied at the Royal College of Art in London.

He had a long and successful career specializing in wedding dresses for the rich and famous.