The then 17-year-old Diana Spencer had recently moved to London when she signed a contract of employment with the company Solve Your Problem in May 1979. It was a staffing agency that provided babysitters to “the rich and famous” in the capital.
Diana had previously babysat for family and friends and listed two of these people as references on the document.
Diana wrote that she did not have a driver’s license. She did not specify a salary requirement, only that she wanted a job “as soon as possible”.
The company’s review of Diana reads “delightful girl – can be sent anywhere”.
However, the princess-to-be incorrectly stated her date of birth as “July 1, 1960” – even though she was actually born exactly one year later.
“This is believed to have been done deliberately so that Diana would appear older and thus have a greater chance of getting a job or a higher salary. But of course it could simply have been a mistake”writes Andrew Stowe at the auction house Auctioneum in a press release.
Diana Spencer’s first employment contract from 1979 is being sold at auction.
Photo: Auctioneum
“So human, so genuine, so normal”
He calls the document “incredibly important” from a historical point of view.
“Here we were a teenage Diana Spencer, newly moved to London, trying to find her way in life and applying for her first job. It is so human, so real, so normal”writes Stowe.
Two years later, Diana married the then prince, later king, Charles and became one of the world’s most famous women.
Company founder Mary Cook kept Diana’s contract as a souvenir. Now it is being sold at auction and is expected to go under the hammer for around SEK 100,000.
“It is filled with hope and nerves and represents every teenager’s feelings about finding their first job. But at the same time, of course, there is a great sense of sadness connected with it”writes Stowe.
Diana and Charles divorced in 1996. A year later, Diana died in a car accident in Paris.
READ MORE: Diana wanted to call off her wedding to Charles
Tags: words Diana Delightful Girl
