22 February 2023 , 18:15
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Rare unseen photographs of a young Princess Diana on holiday at Balmoral months after giving birth to Prince William show a sweet link to the current Princess of Wales.
The incredible private snaps that also show King Charles and the late Queen are set to be auctioned next month with experts predicting the collection will be sold for tens of thousands.
Among the images in the collection is a photo of Diana in her green wellies and Charles posing next to his mother the Queen, who is wearing a grey and red tartan skirt.
Others show a beaming Charles cradling his infant son William and Diana also cuddling the newborn.
A rare picture of Princess Diana at Balmoral in September 1982 (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)
The current Princess of Wales is a keen photographer (Getty Images)However, in one beautiful shot, Diana can be seen posing against the spectacular Balmoral landscape holding what appears to be a camera in her hands.
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And it could have been that Diana enjoyed taking pictures of the spellbinding scenery - just like her future daughter-in-law Kate, who is also a keen photographer.
Kate, who unfortunately never got to meet her husband's mother before her untimely death in 1997, is known for her good eye for photographs.
Diana in her green wellies looking across the water (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)
Diana cuddles a baby Prince William (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)It was even claimed by royal author Katie Nicholl that the late Queen allowed Kate to bring her camera and take pictures at Balmoral and of the surrounding dramatic landscape on her first visit there, knowing how much she loved photography.
In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, she writes: "Until now the Queen had met Kate only fleetingly at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Phillips, but she went out of her way to make her feel welcome, giving her permission to take pictures at Balmoral."
Meanwhile, the 22 unseen snaps taken at Balmoral during a visit by British Airways businessman, Baron King, who was a friend of the Royal Family, are being prepared for sale at Willingham Auctions in Cambridgeshire.
King Charles proudly cradles Prince William (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)
William was three months old when the photos were taken (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)Stephen Drake from the auctioneers said the collection was sure to amass huge interest from around the world, with royal memorabilia at an all-time high.
Mr Drake added: "There were lots of photos taken of Diana but these offer a really personal insight.
"The collection of photos is a real one-off, you will never come across another set of photos like this.
"The photo of Charles holding William is such an amazing photo, he looks like such a proud happy father.
Charles and the late Queen at Balmoral in 1982 with Lord King (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)
The Queen wearing a grey and red tartan skirt alongside Charles and Lord King (WILLINGHAM AUCTIONS/ BAV MEDIA / SplashNews.com)"In the photos, Diana, Charles and William look like a complete family group. You see a lot of press photos but these are nothing like those, they are being photographed as normal people, which for royalty is an amazing experience to see.
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"As auctioneers, we are only custodians of our items for a short amount of time and it’s very exciting to have them here. It really is causing a huge amount of interest.
"The sky is the limit on the price. We have never had anything like this before.
"Plenty of pictures have been sold of Princess Diana before, but nothing as relaxed as this and nothing as early in her marriage.
"The collection of photos come with the negatives so whoever buys it will own the copyright and that is the premium.
"There are also no other copies of these photos out there, these are the only ones. We’ll see what happens on the day, we have high hopes."
The photos, which come complete with the original negatives and folder, will be auctioned at Willingham Auctions in Cambridgeshire on March 4 at 10am.