A Happy Birthday card from Diana, Princess of Wales, to British actor Terence Stamp, who starred in the original Superman films, has sold for almost £10,000 at auction.
The birthday note formed part of a personal collection of items belonging to the late Academy Award nominated actor, and went under the hammer at Bonhams alongside other personal correspondence, scripts, costumes, photographs, furniture and fashion pieces.
The card, dated July 22 but with no indication of the year, conveyed the late princess’s mischievous side with an illustration of a girl sticking out her tongue and singing “Na na na na na” on the front.
On the inside of the card, Diana wrote: “Terence, you’re a lot older than I am!! A very Happy Birthday from one cancerian to another. Lots of luv, Diana.”
The card fetched £9,600, with the collection achieving a total of £240,755 at the auction, which began on June 15 and ended on Thursday.
A bound script and production stills from the 1965 horror film The Collector – in which Stamp starred as the lead – fetched the top prize by selling for £25,600.
A fall-front cabinet made of ivory and bone inlaid rosewood and ebony fetched £19,200.
A script for the 1967 film Far From The Madding Crowd, as well as a large quantity of stills, sold for £15,360, and a grey Prince of Wales check suit worn by Stamp for his role as Sir Larry Wildman in the 1987 film Wall Street sold for £7,040.
“We are delighted with the results of the sale,” Claire Tole-Moir, head of popular culture at Bonhams, said on Thursday.
“Terence Stamp was an extraordinary actor, and his long and varied career gave us so many celebrated performances.
“From Stepney to Mayfair, Stamp was a defining figure of London in the swinging 60s.
“He was emblematic of a certain style and charm, and that clearly came through in his wonderful collection.”
Born in the east end of London in 1938, Stamp rose to acting fame in the 1960s after he won a drama school scholarship.
He made his film debut in Peter Ustinov’s 1962 film adaptation of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, and his portrayal of the title character brought an Oscar nomination.
Known for his stylish clothes, Stamp famously dated actress Julie Christie, whom he performed alongside in the 1967 film Far From The Madding Crowd, and was also in a relationship with model Jean Shrimpton.
But after missing out on the role of James Bond, he fell out of the limelight for a while.
It was not until 1978 that he got his most famous role as General Zod and appeared in Superman’s 1980 sequel as the same character.
Stamp was also widely praised for his lead in director Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 crime drama The Limey.
His film career spanning six decades ended with Wright’s 2021 psychological thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
Stamp died on August 18 last year at the age of 87.
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