Diana letters sold to UK buyer

Some of the letters sold at auction

NORFOLK, England -- A collection of letters and cards sent by Diana, Princess of Wales, to a former housekeeper at her childhood home have fetched £22,000 ($33,000) at auction.

The collection, which went under the at auction rooms in Aylsham, Norfolk, on Friday, had been expected to sell for about £15,000 ($21,400).

It was bought via a telephone bid by hotel owner Michael Rockall.

The letters, to Maud Pendrey, a housekeeper at Diana's teenage home of Althorp, include nine written by Diana after her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981 and 14 Christmas or New Year cards sent between 1981 and 1995.

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

Among the most intimate is one that describes Diana's honeymoon with Prince Charles as "a great success."

"We had a glorious time catching up on lost energy and sleep," she wrote.

Another, written in September 1982, thanks Pendrey for cardigans she had sent for her first son Prince William, saying: "Thank you so much for spoiling William. He doesn't deserve it."

In another, written shortly after William's birth, Diana described herself as an "extremely proud and lucky mother."

Princess Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997

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

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."

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.

Rockall, of Ditchingham, near Bungay, Suffolk, said he had been very keen to buy the collection because he wanted it to stay in England.