Arrest Made In Theft Of Diana Notes
British police arrested a woman Friday in connection with the alleged theft of letters written by Princess Diana to James Hewitt, the only man the late princess ever admitted loving other than her husband.
"A 39-year-old woman has been arrested this morning concerning allegations of theft, and is being held in a central London police station," a spokeswoman at London's Scotland Yard police headquarters said.
The Mirror newspaper said Friday that it had handed the letters to officials at Kensington Palace, Diana's former home, after Hewitt's Italian ex-fiancée, Anna Ferretti, 39, had taken them from his house in Devon and tried to sell them to the newspaper for $249,000. She reportedly has said that she was selling the letters in an attempt to get money back that she had spent on Hewitt.
"We had no intention of publishing them - and handed them to grateful officials at Diana's Kensington palace," The Mirror said.
CBS News London Correspondent Mark Phillips reports that the newspaper's decision probably was prompted by "the public mood these days." Since Diana's death in a Paris car crash last summer, there is less tolerance for aggressive coverage of the royals - especially Diana herself.
The Mirror also took photos of at least one of the letters, which leaves commentators to speculate on whether the newspaper has kept records of the 61 others.
Officials at Kensington Palace said only that they were glad the letters had not been published.
"We appreciate the decision to respect the dignity and privacy of the Princess by not publishing her private correspondence," a spokeswoman said.
The Mirror said the letters were written between 1989 and 1991, and many were sent to Hewitt when he was commanding a tank squadron during the Gulf War.
The letters are said to have begun "Darling James" or "Dearest James" and are signed "Diana," although some carry such pen names as "Julia" or "Susie."
Hewitt's book, Princess in Love, created a sensation when it was published in late 1994, as it claimed the officer had a five-year affair with Diana during her marriage to Prince Charles.
Diana admitted Hewitt's claims were true in a November 1995 interview, in which she said she had been in love with him. The interview was the last straw for Queen Elizabeth, who insisted that Prince Charles and Diana, who had been separated since 1992, should divorce.
Ironically, in one of the stolen letters, Diana reportedly asked Hewitt to "burn all my letters," a request that he apparently disregarded.
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