Prince Charles' love letters on Ebay

Oct 3, 2005, 12:16 GMT

Love letters allegedly sent by Britain's Prince Charles to a mystery ex-girlfriend have been put up for sale on internet auction website eBay. The six letters, apparently to a Canadian former lover, are on offer at £40,000.

Five were written in 1976 when Charles, then a Navy officer, was said to "have a girl in every port". The other was penned in June 1980 - a year before he married Princess Diana.

The internet auctioneers are now set to take down the letters because they are too "private".

An eBay source said: "They are very private. We don't want to upset the prince so it is likely they will be withdrawn."

In the 1980 letter, 'Charles' moans about not being able to sneak women into his hotel room on tours for fear of the Press.

A second tells how he longs to spend more time with the woman and a third says he hopes they can be together when his ship visits Canada.  It reads: "I wish I could come roaring across the Atlantic to make you less lonely."

Referring to pressure on him to wed, the letter says: "I shall just have to get married as soon as possible and then all these people will relax a little."

Royal collector Alicia Carroll, who is selling the letters, said: "The letters are significant because they are written at a time Charles claims his only true love was Camilla Parker Bowles."

Clarence House had no comment.

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