A remarkable collection of photographs and mementoes belonging to former West Heath pupil Katherine Hanbury is due to be auctioned by Gorringes on 7 July, and among the treasures are several previously unseen photographs of a young Diana Spencer during her years at the school.

Taken around 1977, the photographs, taken in settings so familiar to us all, capture ordinary school moments– girls sitting outside enjoying the sunshine, relaxing by Castle, and spending time with friends.

In one picture, Diana can be seen in a pale blue sundress alongside fellow pupils, including future actress Tilda Swinton and film director Joanna Hogg. Other photographs show her with her back to some of the playing fields, and in her dormitory. They are a charming glimpse of everyday life at West Heath.

Perhaps the most delightful thing about these photographs is how familiar the settings are. They are snapshots not of a princess, but of a schoolgirl enjoying the same friendships, routines and carefree moments that so many Old Girls experienced.

The collection also contains an extraordinary piece of royal history – a three-page letter written by Diana to Katherine on 27 September 1981, just two months after her wedding to Prince Charles.

Writing from Balmoral on embossed royal notepaper, the newly married Diana sounds very much like the girl her school friends knew. She describes having had a ‘blissful honeymoon with endless sun’ and writes of how much she liked being in Scotland, saying: “I adore being outside all day and hate London!” She even jokes that after two months of marriage it was safe to say that being married was ‘wonderful’.

Diana sent it by registered post and the original envelope still survives, complete with its Perth postmarks and royal stamp.

Also included in the sale are a handwritten birthday card signed by Diana and the order of service from the Thanksgiving Service held in her memory at St Martin-in-the-Fields in November 1997.

The entire collection, estimated to sell for around £6,000, is a touching reminder that before she became one of the most photographed women in the world, Diana was simply a West Heath girl making memories with her friends.

Perhaps that is what makes these photographs and letters so special. They are not grand state portraits or official documents, but precious glimpses of school friendships, shared laughter and ordinary moments that, with the passing of time, have become a small but treasured part of West Heath history.

The auction is part of Gorringes Summer Fine Art & Interiors Sale being held at their premises in Lewes and proceedings get underway at 10am.  For more info about the auction CLICK HERE. 

* It’s a shame we were not able to feature some of the photos up for auction on the WHOGA website. Some did appear in national newspapers stories about the auction but after numerous emails and phone calls to Gorringes over the last two weeks, Sophie Grounds, the head of PR replied: “I‘m afraid that we are only able to share the images with select target publications. I’m sorry but our client does not feel that it is appropriate for the images to be distributed via the West Heath Old Girls Association website.”

However, if you go to the Gorringes website using the link above at the end of the story you can see some of the photos and a copy of the letter there.

…and talking of auctions

A Happy Birthday card from Diana, after she became the Princess of Wales, she sent to Academy Award nominated British actor Terence Stamp, sold for £9,600 when it was auctioned a Bonhams recently.

The card revealed Diana’s mischievous sense of humour as the front featured an illustration of a girl sticking out her tongue and singing ‘Na na na na na’.

The card was dated 22 July and inside, Diana wrote: “Terence, you’re a lot older than I am!! A very Happy Birthday from one Cancerian to another. Lots of luv, Diana.”

The card formed part of the late Terence Stamp’s personal archive which went under the hammer at Bonhams. It included letters, photographs, scripts, costumes and other treasured possessions which generated a total of £240,755.

Stamp, who died last August at the age of 87, had evidently kept the birthday greeting for many years.