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Is it right to auction letters from Diana?


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Old Yesterday, 15:05
Elvisfan4eva
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An auction is taking place of letters sent by Princess Diana to friends, courtiers etc. One to a servant reveals that Harry was constantly naughty at school and sold for over £1000. It's thought there's interest as it's the 20th anniversary of her death this August. Only some will be sold and any containing anything sensitive or slagging off any other royal won't be auctioned.

To me they should remain private. I don't think people should profit from them. What do you think? If I had one I'd hang on to it as a keepsake.
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Old Yesterday, 15:09
Harvey_Specter
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An auction is taking place of letters sent by Princess Diana to friends, courtiers etc. One to a servant reveals that Harry was constantly naughty at school and sold for over £1000. It's thought there's interest as it's the 20th anniversary of her death this August. Only some will be sold and any containing anything sensitive or slagging off any other royal won't be auctioned.

To me they should remain private. I don't think people should profit from them. What do you think? If I had one I'd hang on to it as a keepsake.
If people want to pay money for this nonsense and the money is used for something good then good times.

Otherwise, indifferent either way.
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Old Yesterday, 15:22
anais32
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I don't know whether to be disgusted or impressed that various bodies are still trying to extract money by feeding from a rotting corpse after all this time.
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Old Yesterday, 15:24
Elvisfan4eva
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They didn't say on the news at 3 whether any money will be donated to charity or not. I know hand-written letters from Elvis, JFK and Marilyn Monroe fetch a lot of money in the states.
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Old Yesterday, 15:26
TheEricPollard
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That's why I don't have servants.
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Old Yesterday, 15:30
muggins14
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I think it's fine to sell these letters - letters are the property of the recipient after all.

We see letters, after a certain number of years, from Thatcher, Kenney and Onassis, lots of famous people.

I see no reason why these particular letters shouldn't be sold if that's what the owners wish to do. There seems to be a market for them, after all.
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Old Yesterday, 15:52
gashead
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An auction is taking place of letters sent by Princess Diana to friends, courtiers etc. One to a servant reveals that Harry was constantly naughty at school and sold for over £1000. It's thought there's interest as it's the 20th anniversary of her death this August. Only some will be sold and any containing anything sensitive or slagging off any other royal won't be auctioned.

To me they should remain private. I don't think people should profit from them. What do you think? If I had one I'd hang on to it as a keepsake.
I think it's a bit crass to sell them, but then again, as long as they don't divulge any secrets, or anything that might be used as 'ammuntion' against anyone, I don't see the harm. From what I read on the BBC, they mention that Williams smothers his baby brother with kisses and that Harry was always in trouble in school. Now if they're the most 'juicy' revelations in the letters, the rest of them must be deeply dull. Interesting to some perhaps, in as much as they were written by Diana, but probably not anything the Royals or the Govt. are going to lose any sleep over, so where's the harm. They'll probably be bought by some wealthy American who loves anything to do with the Royal Family.

They didn't say on the news at 3 whether any money will be donated to charity or not. I know hand-written letters from Elvis, JFK and Marilyn Monroe fetch a lot of money in the states.
I can't find it now, but I gather from the BBC article that the letters and other things are in the private ownership of the family of the 'servant' Diana wrote/ gave them to. There was nothing to suggest that any of the proceeds would go to charity. (Which isn't to say they won't. There was no comment from the seller in the article, so it didn't elaborate on why they were selling them at this time.)
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Old Yesterday, 15:57
skp20040
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I think it's a bit crass to sell them, but then again, as long as they don't divulge any secrets, or anything that might be used as 'ammuntion' against anyone, I don't see the harm. From what I read on the BBC, they mention that Williams smothers his baby brother with kisses and that Harry was always in trouble in school. Now if they're the most 'juicy' revelations in the letters, the rest of them must be deeply dull. Interesting to some perhaps, in as much as they were written by Diana, but probably not anything the Royals or the Govt. are going to lose any sleep over, so where's the harm. They'll probably be bought by some wealthy American who loves anything to do with the Royal Family.


I can't find it now, but I gather from the BBC article that the letters and other things are in the private ownership of the family of the 'servant' Diana wrote/ gave them to. There was nothing to suggest that any of the proceeds would go to charity. (Which isn't to say they won't. There was no comment from the seller in the article, so it didn't elaborate on why they were selling them at this time.)
It mentions they belonged to the late Mr Dickman of Buckingham Palace so one imagines he did keep them as part of his memories of working life and now the family want to make some money , not sure I would disagree with that but personally I would keep them, but they may very well need the cash. The auction is for other letters as well not just Diana.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38508089

The items are being sold by the family of the late Mr Dickman, who was head palace steward for more than 50 years.

Described by Cheffins as "a favourite of every member of the Royal Family", he received handwritten notes from other senior royals dating back more than 30 years
.
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Old Yesterday, 16:10
muggins14
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I think it's a bit crass to sell them, but then again, as long as they don't divulge any secrets, or anything that might be used as 'ammuntion' against anyone, I don't see the harm. From what I read on the BBC, they mention that Williams smothers his baby brother with kisses and that Harry was always in trouble in school. Now if they're the most 'juicy' revelations in the letters, the rest of them must be deeply dull. Interesting to some perhaps, in as much as they were written by Diana, but probably not anything the Royals or the Govt. are going to lose any sleep over, so where's the harm. They'll probably be bought by some wealthy American who loves anything to do with the Royal Family.


I can't find it now, but I gather from the BBC article that the letters and other things are in the private ownership of the family of the 'servant' Diana wrote/ gave them to. There was nothing to suggest that any of the proceeds would go to charity. (Which isn't to say they won't. There was no comment from the seller in the article, so it didn't elaborate on why they were selling them at this time.)
Not quite sure why you think it's crass - they may mean more to some collector than they do to the family of the recipient. After all, as you have said, 'they must be deeply dull'.

Jackie Kennedy's letters were sold a few years ago, letters by all sorts of people are sold all the time, as well as belongings. Museums too are full of personal letters from people of historical note.

Just because the letters are from Diana it doesn't mean they shouldn't be sold if some fool is willing to pay for them. They are, after all, the owner's inheritance from the sounds of it.

ETA: For all we know, he left them the letters for that purpose, as their inheritance.

Last edited by muggins14 : Yesterday at 16:12. Reason: Deleted unnecessary sentence
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Old Yesterday, 16:15
gashead
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It mentions they belonged to the late Mr Dickman of Buckingham Palace so one imagines he did keep them as part of his memories of working life and now the family want to make some money , not sure I would disagree with that but personally I would keep them, but they may very well need the cash. The auction is for other letters as well not just Diana.
I feel much the same. No doubt whilst he was alive, he treasured them and would never consider selling them, but now he's no longer here to stop his family doing just that. It's obviously none of our business why they are, but I'd like to think they're not just cashing in the old-man's estate for a quick buck. OTOH, if selling them prevents his grand-children from losing their home or some dire financial situation like that, I daresay he'd say 'Yes, sell the bloody things, they're just bits of paper'.
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Old Yesterday, 16:25
gashead
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Not quite sure why you think it's crass - they may mean more to some collector than they do to the family of the recipient. After all, as you have said, 'they must be deeply dull'.

Jackie Kennedy's letters were sold a few years ago, letters by all sorts of people are sold all the time, as well as belongings. Museums too are full of personal letters from people of historical note.

Just because the letters are from Diana it doesn't mean they shouldn't be sold if some fool is willing to pay for them. They are, after all, the owner's inheritance from the sounds of it.

ETA: For all we know, he left them the letters for that purpose, as their inheritance.
Crass only in as much as it's the family selling them. Who they're from and what they say is largely beside the point to me on that. I know it's sentimentality on my part. Some people see 'things' as just that, and attach no emotion to them, and would probably consider me foolish for being the opposite. If I were able to let go more, I wouldn't still have old baby clothes, books, toys, drawings etc cluttering up my attic.
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Old Yesterday, 16:29
Welsh-lad
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Letters belong to the people who receive them and thereafter to any beneficiaries after they die, so how can it be wrong to sell them??

If someone is willing to spend thousands on the meanderings of a dead royal then go for it. I'd flog the lot.
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Old Yesterday, 16:44
muggins14
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Crass only in as much as it's the family selling them. Who they're from and what they say is largely beside the point to me on that. I know it's sentimentality on my part. Some people see 'things' as just that, and attach no emotion to them, and would probably consider me foolish for being the opposite. If I were able to let go more, I wouldn't still have old baby clothes, books, toys, drawings etc cluttering up my attic.
Aww, that's sweet I have a few things from Jr's baby days, but not much just a select bunch in a 'special' box.

I came to realise after Mum and Dad died and their belongings were all destroyed in August when a pipe burst in their house - our inheritance, that the items meant nothing really, I'd rather have them back.
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Old Yesterday, 17:55
Sharon69er
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It mentions they belonged to the late Mr Dickman of Buckingham Palace so one imagines he did keep them as part of his memories of working life..
Was that his real name or what Dianna fondly called him?
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Old Yesterday, 18:13
zx50
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Looks like someone's making money from Diana's memory then. Someone's tens of thousands of pounds richer now.
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Old Yesterday, 18:17
muggins14
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Looks like someone's making money from Diana's memory then. Someone's tens of thousands of pounds richer now.
People make money all the time off peoples' memories - Elvis, Shakespeare, Henry VIII, dinosaurs
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Old Yesterday, 18:38
Welsh-lad
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Looks like someone's making money from Diana's memory then. Someone's tens of thousands of pounds richer now.
How is it any different to making money from any kind of memorabilia?
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Old Yesterday, 18:57
zx50
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People make money all the time off peoples' memories - Elvis, Shakespeare, Henry VIII, dinosaurs
I was meaning the fact that it was personal letters.
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Old Yesterday, 19:11
blueblade
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If people want to pay serious money for this stuff, then so be it.
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