Diana's letters to stepmother withdrawn from auction

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The letters, written in December 1980 and January 1981 to Countess Spencer, were due to be auctioned as part of an Antiques and Collectables sale in Northamptonshire where the Spencer family's Althorp Estate is.

One, to "dearest Raine" and ending "much love from Diana", revealed Diana's joy at "slipping" in and out of Sandringham during the Christmas before she married Charles.

It also said she was looking forward to a trip to Australia in February 1981, as well as a mention of a woman she refers to only as "she".

But the letters, being sold by a private vendor who used to work for the Spencer family, were withdrawn after Countess Spencer contacted auctioneers JP Humberts. They have now been returned to the Countess.