Royal news – live: Prince Harry takes on tabloids in documentary tonight as ‘intimate’ Diana letters emerge

Duke says legal battle was central piece in royal rift

Prince Harry is set to give a personal insight into how the phone hacking scandal affected him in an explosive documentary tonight, as ‘intimate’ letters from his mother are put up for auction.

The Duke of Sussex will share how his legal battle with the tabloid press played a central role in creating the rift between him and his family.

Breaking his silence on his court case, he says in a trailer for the ITV documentary: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”

He won his privacy case against Mirror Group newspapers last December after a High Court judge ruled his own phone had been hacked. The prince is also involved in ongoing legal cases against the Daily Mail and The Sun publishers.

The comments come as unseen letters from Princess Diana to her family’s housekeeper have emerged. They are expected to sell for thousands of pounds when they go up for auction later this month.

One of the letters, written on Buckingham Palace notepaper, describes the “frantic” preparations for Diana’s wedding to Charles.

‘Intimate’ letters from Princess Diana to go under the hammer
More than a dozen “intimate” letters and cards from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper are coming to auction later this month.

Diana sent the personal notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandrigham Estate.

Collie witnessed the births of four Spencer children, including Diana, and remained close with the family until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.

The collection, being auctioned at Sworders, reveals snippets of the princess’ internal thoughts at crucial stages of her life. The correspondence spans from before her marriage to Charles, through to the early years of Prince William and Harry’s lives.

One notable item is a double-sided letter written on Buckingham Palace notepaper, dated 8 July 8 1981, just three weeks before the Royal Wedding.

In it, Lady Diana Spencer remarks: “everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations … the bride to be has remained quite calm!” This letter, in its original envelope addressed in Diana’s hand, is expected to fetch £800-1,200.

Anne meets Team GB athletes in first foreign trip since horse accident
The Princess Royal has met Team GB athletes in Paris in her first official overseas trip since being hit by a horse.

Anne spoke to Olympians Tom Daley and Helen Glover as they were named as the team’s joint flag bearers ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony.

She was the first member of the royal family to compete in the Olympic Games when she rode the late Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

The visit by the 73-year-old is the latest in her phased return to public duties after being rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol on June 23, staying for five nights after being injured while out walking on her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire.

Anne’s medical team said her concussion and head injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs but her concussion meant precise details of how the incident came about are not clear.