Princess Diana’s letter to a dying man is being auctioned in Cornwall

A handwritten letter from Princess Diana to a man dying of AIDS has sold at auction in Cornwall for £1,500. Dated April 22, 1994, the letter to Michael Nanson praised the “courage and quiet strength” with which he faced his illness.

The young flight attendant contracted AIDS in the early 1990s and when his sister wrote to Diana, telling her about her beloved brother’s plight, the Princess wrote her a letter. On a sheet of her personal cream and burgundy Kensington Palace letterhead, she wrote: “Dear Michael. Your sister had the great idea to tell me about the courage and quiet strength with which you are dealing with AIDS.

“I was glad to hear from her for giving me the chance to send you this short note. Although inadequate, it comes with my thoughts and prayers – and the sure knowledge that your courageous example will prove an inspiration to others. With love from Diana.”

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Mr. Nanson received the letter two months before he died. He was described by his family as an “amazing man”, a much loved only son, he was a loving flight attendant who loved to travel.

The letter went under the hammer last week (May 23) at Lay’s Auctioneers in Penzance, with a guide price of £2,000 to £3,000. According to the website’s live auction, the letter sold for £1,500.

Princess Diana had a special interest in HIV/AIDS and was instrumental in changing public perception of the disease at a time when there was much fear and media hysteria. Diana opened the UK’s first specialist HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital in 1987 and notably shook the hands of dying AIDS patients without wearing gloves.

Her actions were revolutionary in convincing the public that they had nothing to fear. After the princess’s divorce in 1996, the National Aids Trust was one of six key charities close to her heart that she continued to work with after cutting ties with more than 100 others in a bid to lead a less public life.

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