Newly Released Letters From Princess Diana Uncover Optimism Just Months Before She Died

The year 1997 had many big headlines. The NASA Pathfinder landed on Mars and O.J. Simpson was found guilty. But quite possibly the biggest thing to occur that year was the death of Princess Diana. Her death sent a ripple of shock across the entire world as the news was released of her perishing in a car crash alongside then-boyfriend Dodi Fayed. And while we do know a lot about that unfortunate day, including her last words, per Today, there was a lot we didn't understand about the princess in her final days.

But now, per Vanity Fair, letters she had written to her dear friends Susie and Tarek Kassem before her death have been released and the contents of them are heartbreaking to say the least. One in particular, which was written just months before she died, gives us a glimpse into her mind leading up to her death — and it proves that Princess Diana was hopeful for a brighter future.

According to Vanity Fair, an auction company recently revealed that they will be auctioning off a series of 32 letters written by Princess Diana around the time of her divorce from Prince Charles and before her untimely death in 1997. At the time of the announcement, people became curious about what the princess had to say to her close friends. Some of the letters were simple thank you's to the Kassem's for being kind to her, but others were rather eye-opening, specifically one written around Christmas time.

The letter she wrote on December 17, 1996 shows a hopeful Princess Diana, per the Daily Mail. In the letter, she reveals that she planned to spend Christmas "in the sunshine." She also remarks that she "hopes '97 will be a better year for us all'" before mentioning Yannis Kaliviotis, a friend of hers who had recently passed from cystic fibrosis. 

This letter, along with 31 others, will be ready for auction on February 16.