Why Princess Diana Thought Joining the Royal Family Was Like "Playing With Grown-Ups"
"I think it's safe to say that..."
Princess Diana was just 19 years old when she got engaged to King Charles. When the pair married on July 29, 1981, Diana had just turned 20; at the time, Charles was 32. As a result, the couple learned to navigate their age gap, and according to Diana, she sometimes felt like a child within the Royal Family.
In a letter written to former classmate Katherine Hanbury in September 1981, Princess Diana discussed a myriad of topics, including her recent honeymoon with Charles.
"We had a blissful honeymoon with endless sun and luckily calm seas," Diana shared (via the Telegraph). "[W]e are now up in Scotland until the end of October, which is a big treat for us—I adore being outside all day and hate London!"
Diana also praised her husband in the letter, writing, "[It's] wonderful being married—I think [it's] safe to say that after two months!"
As for how she felt about joining the Royal Family, Diana told Hanbury, "[It's] a case of playing with grown-ups!"
"[It's] wonderful being married—I think [it's] safe to say that after two months!"
The letter, along with a collection of other memorabilia, is set to be auctioned by Gorringe's Fine Art and Interiors in July 2026.
Of the sale, Gorringe's books and manuscripts specialist, Albert Radford, told the Telegraph, "This intimate archive offers a rare glimpse of Diana, Princess of Wales, before duty and fame had the final say."
"[It's] a case of playing with grown-ups!"
Radford continued, "She appears here as a young woman suspended between love and history—hopeful, unguarded, and not yet entirely claimed by the institution that would come to define her. In these small, fragile traces, innocence lingers—along with a quiet stubborn belief in something as simple and elusive as love."
