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During her bombshell Panorama interview back in 1995, Princess Diana spoke about her husband’s infidelity with his then-mistress Camilla Parker Bowles. The princess also admitted that she too had an extramarital affair with a man named James Hewitt.

Now, there are reports that Hewitt could sell private letters the late princess wrote him, sparking fears that they could then be made public in a crushing blow to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Princess Diana’s private letters to James Hewitt could be sold for $1 million

Princess Diana and the former Cavalry officer carried on their affair for five years from 1986 to 1991. Diana confessed that she “was in love” with Hewitt “but was very let down.” He and the princess split after he was deployed to serve in the Gulf War.

Princess Diana and James Hewitt
Left: Prince Diana | WPA/Pool/Getty Images, Right: James Hewitt | Steve Finn/Getty Images

GB News reported that letters Diana wrote to him between 1989 to 1991, which are of an intimate nature, are expected to be sold to a wealthy collector in the U.S. for around $1 million.

This isn’t the first time Hewitt tried to auction off these letters from the princess. He previously tried to sell them as collateral for a $600,000 loan. And in 2023, he contacted a London auction house which advised Hewitt to sell the letters abroad instead. The former British Army officer also sold his story about Diana in a tell-all book titled Princess in Love.

Royal author Ingrid Seward said: “James Hewitt has betrayed Diana in so many ways so this is just the final insult. I presume 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 unthinkable these notes for such a sensitive time in her life could become public.”

Commentators believe these letters being made public would crush William and Harry

Prince Harry and Prince William follow the hearse with the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II moving towards St. George's Chapel
Prince Harry and Prince William follow the hearse with the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II moving towards St. George’s Chapel | Jon Super – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Royal experts and hosts of Heirs and Spares, Kinsey Schofield and Katie Nicholl discussed the reports that Diana’s private letters to Hewitt could be sold and made public and what effect that would have on Prince William and Prince Harry who have worked so hard to protect their mother’s legacy.

Schofield noted that there are a total of 64 letters to Hewitt from Diana and at one point Prince William wanted to purchase them just “to make them go away.” She added if the letters are sold it’s “something that could bring extreme emotional stress not only to Prince William but also to Prince Harry as well.”

Nicholl interjected: “I think they’re probably both hoping James Hewitt and those letters just disappear, never to be seen again. They will feel deeply disappointed that anyone connected to their mother is cashing in on her memory. A memory that they’re trying very hard to preserve with love and dignity.”