Princess Diana’s ‘trepidation’ at newly single life and ‘hope’ for the future before divorce is revealed in letter she wrote to resign from charity role

A recently discovered letter has revealed Princess Diana’s ‘anxiety’ about her new life as a bachelor ahead of King Charles’s divorce.

The revealing letter, written to the president of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for The Blind, will be auctioned next month by Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies in Beverly Hills, California.

Diana cited “personal circumstances, particularly my marriage to the Prince of Wales” as the reason for her resignation from her role at the charity, where she was a patron, according to The Telegraph.

The mother-of-two explained that she was unable to provide the level of “dedication” required for the role as she had to “reorganize” her life.

She added that while she remained hopeful, there were still “some issues” she needed to resolve.

In the letter, Diana explained that she was writing “with great sadness” to step down from her position as patron of the charity.

She explained: ‘As you know my personal circumstances, particularly my marriage to the Prince of Wales, have been the subject of detailed conjecture over the past few months, and this will soon be formalized in the normal legal manner.

“While I look to the future with hope, I do so with some trepidation, as there are a number of issues I will need to resolve.”

Diana continued: ‘As I try to reorganize my life it will not be possible for me to offer you the right level of commitment and I think there may be someone else better suited to support you in everything you do .’

The letter was dated July 15, 1996, the month before Charles and Diana formally separated on August 28, 1996.

Julien’s auction house, where the previously unpublished letter is auctioned, focuses on high-profile auctions in the fields of film, music, art and sports.

Over the years, a selection of the princess’ objects have been auctioned, with eager royal collectors competing.

Diana’s iconic revenge dress is perhaps the most famous of the auctions.

The mother-of-two (pictured in 1994) explained in the letter of resignation that she could not provide the level of “dedication” required for the position because she had to “reorganize” her life.

Princess Diana wore the iconic black mini piece to a gala at the Serpentine Gallery on the same night in 1994 when Prince Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful to her.

Although the revealing number was unusual for a royal family, she greeted the people with poise and confidence.

Designed by Greek designer Christina Stambolian, the fitted off-the-shoulder dress featured an asymmetrical hemline and a chiffon train that fluttered in the wind.

It had been leaked that Diana would be wearing Valentino to the event, so instead she wore the daring dress that had previously been in her closet for three years.

The designer recalled Diana asking for a “special dress for a special occasion” at her shop in 1991, according to Claudia Joseph’s book, Diana: A Life in Dresses.

The iconic ‘Revenge Dress’ worn by Princess Diana at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 was created in September 1991 by Christina Stambolian

After a few sketches, they opted for the legendary short hem. It took two seamstresses more than 60 hours to make the dress.

In the summer of 1997, not long before her death, Diana put 79 of her dresses up for auction at Christie’s in New York.

Proceeds were shared between multiple organizations, including cancer and AIDS-related charities.

The Revenge dress, which originally cost the princess £900, sold at auction in July 1997 for a whopping £39,098 – more than £85,000 at today’s prices.

Diana’s dress was bought by Graeme and Briege Mackenzie, a Scottish couple who revealed at the time that they would use it to raise money for charities.

To mark the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2017, the Revenge Dress was displayed at the Museum of Style in Newbridge, Ireland, in their exhibition ‘Diana: A Fashion Legacy’.