Woman Freed in Alleged Theft of Diana Letters

An Italian woman was released without charge early Saturday over the alleged theft of letters written by Princess Diana to her lover James Hewitt.

Anna Ferretti, who until recently was Hewitt’s fiancee, was questioned for 16 hours by London police about how 62 love letters found their way to a British newspaper.

The Mirror newspaper said it had handed the letters, written between 1989 and 1991, to officials at Kensington Palace, the late princess’ home. On Friday, the Mirror’s front page featured a reproduction of a few lines of Diana’s handwriting from one of the letters, in which she asked Hewitt to burn her letters.

Diana admitted in a 1995 television interview that she had an affair with the cavalry officer during her marriage to Prince Charles. The royal couple divorced in 1996, and she died in a car crash in Paris a year later.

Hewitt said Saturday that he was devastated at the disappearance of the letters from a safe in his home.

He told the Sun newspaper that he had burned between 50 and 70 of the notes Diana had sent him but had held on to the rest as a keepsake of their romance.

Hewitt said he had received many offers to sell the letters but had always refused.

The Mirror newspaper reported Saturday that Diana’s family had no intention of returning the letters to Hewitt. But the Sunday Telegraph quoted Hewitt as saying he will go to court if necessary to get back her letters.