ESSEX, UK — More than a dozen letters and cards from Diana Princess of Wales to her family’s former housekeeper sold at auction in Essex on July 30, for a total of $66,230 (£51,850), including buyer’s premium. The collection included a trove of correspondence between the princess and the lady she knew simply as Collie (otherwise known as Violet Collison, head housekeeper to the Spencer family at Sandringham Estate). In a two-page letter, writing as the Princess of Wales on Kensington Palace notepaper on September 25, 1984, Diana thanked her former housekeeper for a gift to Prince Harry. She noted that, “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry.” Offered together with a Christmas card from the same year, this lot rose to $16,605 (£13,000), the highest price of the sale. It will be staying in the United Kingdom with its new owner. Luke Macdonald, director at Sworders Auctioneers, said the letters were “so intimate.” More highlights from this sale will be featured in an upcoming issue.