Prince Philip's 'sympathetic' letters to Princess Diana that showed his 'fatherly' side
The palace previously spoke out about the letters
Prince Philip and Princess Diana had one main thing in common – they both married into one of the most famous families in the world.
Now, alleged letters exchanged between Philip and his daughter-in-law have resurfaced and shed light on the relationship they seemingly shared, revealing the softer side of the late Duke of Edinburgh.
The pair exchanged letters in 1992, the year Diana and Charles eventually split. In them, Philip reportedly attempted to counsel Diana.
And he even concluded his letters with a touching message. However, these letters did come under some scrutiny many years ago.
Prince Philip’s letters to Princess Diana
The letters were used in Diana’s inquest, a British inquiry that concluded in 2008, conducted under Operation Paget, following her untimely death in 1997.
The inquest’s verdict concluded that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were unlawfully killed due to the “gross negligence” of the driver, Henri Paul, and the pursuing paparazzi.
As reported by the BBC in January 2008, during the inquest, alternative therapist Simone Simmons described two of the letters from Philip as “cruel”. She claimed they “upset” the late Princess of Wales.
Along with the anger felt by the public towards the royal family due to their delayed response to Diana’s death, some felt that Prince Philip lacked compassion for his daughter-in-law.
Broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth, who knew Philip for over 40 years, has attempted to set the record straight.
Prince Philip’s ‘fatherly’ and ‘loving’ side shown in letters
Gyles and the prince met whilst involved in work for the National Playing Fields Association, which Philip had been president of since 1948.
In his 2021 book, Philip: The Final Portrait, Gyles penned that he said to Prince Philip: “The public view of you, for what it’s worth, is of a grouchy old man. Unsympathetic to his daughter-in-law. But I happen to know – not from you, but I know it – that when things were difficult, you wrote to Diana – kind letters, concerned, fatherly, loving letters from Pa, explaining how you knew, first hand, the difficulties involved in marrying into the royal family.”
Gyles reportedly told Philip that the image the public had of him was unfair.
The prince reportedly shrugged and replied that he just had to “live with it”.
In 2002, a palace statement stated that the original letters sent by Prince Philip to Princess Diana had been lost. But he kept copies of his letters to her. He also had Diana’s original replies.
Palace statement over royal letters
The statement stated at the time: “He started the correspondence in June 1992 in a friendly attempt to resolve a number of family issues which arose at the time leading up to the official separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales in December of that year.
In his letters Philip confronted his daughter-in-law with home truths: he invited her to face the facts.
“Prince Philip wishes to make it clear that at no point did he ever use the insulting terms described in the media reports, nor that he was curt or unfeeling in what he wrote.”
Gyles also explained: “Philip’s letters to Diana were typical of his correspondence overall. They were sympathetic, but unsentimental. Direct, but to a purpose. In his letters Philip confronted his daughter-in-law with home truths: he invited her to face the facts.”
Philip apparently invited Diana to think long and hard about her marriage. Of course, we now know that Diana and Charles eventually divorced in 1996.
All of Philip’s letters were allegedly concluded with a heartfelt sign off. He would pen: “With fondest love, Pa.”
Princess Diana would feel ’emotional’ over the letters
Gyles detailed that the letters would leave Diana emotional.
In fact, Diana would allegedly read the letters to her friends, including to her closest pals at the time, Lucia Flecha de Lima, wife of the former Brazilian Ambassador, and Rosa Monckton.
“They were good letters. He is a good man,” Lucia allegedly told Gyles.
“Actually, he was pretty wonderful. All he was trying to do was help. And Diana knew that,” Rose was also said to have claimed.
What was Prince Philip’s relationship with Diana?
Ultimately, the duke and Diana were said to share a rocky but close relationship. Philip would try to guide Diana where he could.
“When (Diana) found the restrictions of royal life difficult, it was Philip who helped her,” royal author Ingrid Seward detailed in her book Prince Philip Revealed, as per PEOPLE. “Once she was married, she never sat next to her husband. She was always sat next to Philip at the endless black-tie dinners, and he took care of her.”
So, what do you think of this story? Have you read Gyles Brandreth’s book? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page.
