Princess Diana Felt ‘Isolated’ And ‘Misunderstood,’ New Letter Reveals

In a previously unreleased letter written just before the publication of her stunning 1992 biography, Princess Diana revealed she felt “extremely isolated” and “continuously misunderstood” by the royal family, according to the Daily Mail.

The letter was sent to her “dear and special friend,” the late interior designer Dudley Poplak, and describes Diana’s fears of “what’s coming to this country and this family.”

The letter came just six months before Andrew Morton’s infamous biography on the Princess of Wales, Diana: Her Story, hit bookshelves. The book sent shock waves worldwide, as it revealed intimate details of Diana’s life with Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family, including the fact that both Diana and Charles had engaged in extramarital affairs.

In the handwritten note, Princess Diana tells Poplak she enjoyed lunch with him that day and that she felt “extremely isolated more than ever now.”

She also admitted that she felt “continuously misunderstood by those around me.”

The letter went on to describe the drive behind her famous altruism and kindness, talking of a self-help program “which has brought a deep understanding of those who suffer and those who need love and support, wherever its in hospices or in the street.”

Dearest Dudley,

I did so enjoy our lunch today – it was special for many reasons and in particular our conversation towards the end of our delicious meal.

I do feel extremely isolated more than ever now, as I see whats coming to this country and this family.

During the last couple of years I have been through a self-development programme which has brought a deep understanding of those who suffer and those who need love and support, wherever its in hospices or in the street.

I feel that you believe in me, Dudley, and you’ve no idea what this means to me as I am continuously misunderstood by those around me.

Please may we continue our conversation in January, when the pace of life isn’t so fast and furious, as I’d care to ask for your advice and relay to you my inner thoughts.

You are a very dear and special friends, Dudley, & what a happy foursome it was for lunch today – I enjoyed Peter’s/Ian’s sense of humour enormously!!

Lots of love from, Diana x

Poplak died in 2005 at the age of 74, and a private collector is putting the letter up for sale through Dominic Winter Auctioneers in the United Kingdom, according to The Telegraph.

“The letter sent in December 1991 is poignant in that it was written only months before all the public falling out following the Morton biography,” said Chris Albury, a representative with the auction house. “She must have been feeling even more isolated from the Windsors at a time when her marriage had fallen apart and she had just told her version of her Royal life to Morton, knowing that she was about to let a genie out of the bottle which would change her life for better or worse. This heartfelt letter offers a unique window into Diana’s inner-torment at that time.”

Morton used an intermediary to interview and tape Princess Diana in Kensington Palace in 1991. In the tapes, she revealed details about her life before her marriage to Prince Charles, her suicide attempts, her struggles with bulimia, her strained relationships with other members of the royal family, and her pain over Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

At first, Morton claimed he had obtained the intimate details through unnamed sources. He later confessed that the information had come directly from Princess Diana. After Diana’s death in 1997, he released a revised version of the book with the subtitle “In Her Own Words.”

[Featured Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images]