Hewitt may sue over Diana letters

THE former lover of Diana, Princess of Wales, James Hewitt, last night threatened to sue the trustees of her estate for the return of intimate love letters.

The letters were allegedly removed from Mr Hewitt's home on Tuesday by his former fiancee, Anna Ferretti. She then tried to sell the 62 letters to the Mirror for pounds 150,000. But the newspaper returned the letters to Kensington Palace, which handles the princess's estate, without publishing them.

The estate's trustees - including Frances Shand Kydd, the princess's mother; Sarah McCorquodale, her sister; and the Bishop of London, Richard Chartes - are said to be unwilling to return the letters.

Last night Mr Hewitt, speaking to the Sunday Telegraph from Seville, Spain, said: "I will do everything in my power to get these letters back. It is complete and utter rubbish that I was going to sell the letters. The copyright may be with the estate, but I own the letters. If necessary I will take them to court."

A copyright expert yesterday said the letters could become the focus of a protracted legal battle. Mr Alan Williams of legal firm Denton Hall said Mr Hewitt would have a claim to them but Diana's estate would have copyright over the words.

Ms Ferretti, 39, was released by police yesterday after questioning over the alleged theft of the letters from Mr Hewitt's home in Devon.