16 May 2024 , 22:00
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A letter written by Princess Diana praising the “courage and quiet strength” of a man dying from Aids has been discovered.
Dated April 22, 1994, the note was written on Kensington Palace headed paper and addressed to Michael Nanson, a young flight attendant. He had contracted Aids in the early 1990s and died two months after the letter was written.
She wrote: "Dear Michael. Your sister had the very kind idea of telling me about the courage and quiet strength with which you are coping with Aids. I was so glad to hear from her because it has given me the chance to send you this brief note. Though inadequate, it comes with my thoughts and prayers - and the sure knowledge that your brave example will prove an inspiration to others. With love from Diana."
The beautiful letter written by the princess in 1994 (LayAuctioneers/BNPS)The letter is being sold by Michael's family to mark 30 years since his death, and a decade since his mother passed away. It is tipped to fetch £2,000 to £3,000 at Lay's Auctioneers, of Penzance, Cornwall. The family will use the money to hold a small celebration to remember them both.
Specialist Mimi Connell-Lay said: "The letter is extremely special, privately written by Princess Diana and so full of heartfelt compassion. It was written to a young man, Michael Nanson, who was dying of Aids, a condition and cause that was very close to Diana's heart.
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"Michael had contracted HIV/Aids in the early 90s. He had been a gregarious, outgoing flight attendant, and a much-loved only son. Diana was the consummate correspondent, she diligently wrote thousands of 'Thank you' letters for the constant stream of gifts she received, but we rarely see her more personal letters.
"Michael's sister wrote to Diana, telling the Princess of the plight of her beloved brother who was suffering from Aids. Princess Diana would privately visit cancer and Aids patients in hospital, and this letter is a fantastic example of the comfort she sought to give, and of her privately putting into practice, the compassion that she campaigned for so publicly."
It was in 1987 Diana first shocked the world, when she opened the UK’s first HIV/AIDs unit at Middlesex Hospital. She was pictured shaking hands with AIDS patient Ivan Cohen, 32, at a time when much of the world incorrectly believed the disease could be spread by causal contact.
Such was the stigma about the disease Ivan was the only patient who agreed to be pictured - and only from behind. The image of the bare-handed princess would cause a ripple effect helped destigmatise HIV and AIDS around the world. Two years later, Diana cuddled a seven-year-old boy with AIDS in a New York hospital. She also urged others not to fear close contact with sufferers - famously once saying: “You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.”
It would later emerge Diana had for several years made secret late-night visits to in London, disguised in jeans and a baseball cap, to visit Aids sufferers and other seriously ill patients. She was also a prodigious fundraiser, linked to more than 100 charities, making high-profile visits she knew would make a huge difference to the causes she championed.