A series of ten secret letters penned by the late Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn will be auctioned off later this month. The handwritten letters will go under the hammer at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia on June 29 and are expected to sell for more than £4,000.
The letters span from 1951 to 1960, a very poignant time in the actress’s life, and are addressed to her mentor and friend of many years, Sir Felix Aylmer, whose family have kept the letters ever since.
The inked pages depict key milestones in Audrey’s life including her big move to Hollywood. In 1951, aged just 22, she wrote, ‘Would you believe it. I’m in Monte Carlo working on a French picture. The place is heavenly and this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’
Audrey was writing in excitement about one of her first major roles in film as she starred in Monte Carlo Baby after originally pursuing a career in ballet.
Yet the hand-sprawled pages also sadly depict a turbulent time in the star’s life as she talks of her two miscarriages and split from fiance James Hanso amid filming for Roman Holiday. Audrey wrote, ‘It is all very unhappy-making. I fear I thought it possible to make our combined lives and careers work.’
Despite this heartache, Audrey soon met newfound love Mel Ferrer in 1954, an actor who she co-starred with in Sabrina and War and Peace.
The pair went on to have their first child together, Sean, who Audrey dotes on in her last letter to Sir Felix.
'Sean is truly a dream,' she wrote. 'I find it hard to believe he is really ours to keep. I long to show him to you. We all three send our love and kisses, Audrey.'
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