Diana letters to go under hammer

Princess Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997

LONDON, England -- Nine letters written by Diana, Princess of Wales, to one of her former housekeepers will be auctioned this week.

Maud Pendrey, who worked at Althorp, the central England country home where Diana spent her teenage years, has put the correspondence she received from the princess for sale.

The collection includes letters written by the late princess after her marriage to the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, in 1981 and 14 Christmas or New Year cards sent between 1981 and 1995.

Auctioneers believe the letters are worth up to £15,000 ($21,400).

EXTRA INFORMATION People in the News: The life of Princess Diana

In one letter, written shortly after the birth her first son William, she described herself as an "extremely proud and lucky mother."

The letter continued: "William has brought us such happiness and contentment, and consequently I cannot wait for masses more."

The correspondence will go under the hammer at GA Keys' salerooms in Aylsham, Norfolk, at 2pm on Friday.

Andrew Bullock, GA Keys collectables expert, told The Associated Press: "You don't get something like this very often and the fact that they come from Diana makes them extra special.

"You are left wondering what might have been."

The letters and cards are all written in Diana's handwriting and signed by the princess, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The early letters also show Prince Charles's signature and include images of Diana and Charles. After the couple's divorce, the cards are only signed by the Princess of Wales.

In the first letter from August 1981, Diana thanks Pendrey for a wedding present by writing, "I can't tell you how touched and delighted I was to receive your generous present.

"It's a particularly pretty colour which would look lovely in our new home."

In another, from September 1982, Diana says she hopes to visit Althorp soon to "show off my marvellous husband and son to you both."