DIANA LETTERS ARE MISSED BY THIEVES; Priceless booty left behind.

Byline: By MIKE MERRITT

BUNGLING burglars ignored valuable letters from Princess Diana when they robbed her mum's island house.

Police have relaunched the hunt for the thieves, who stole pounds 100,000 of jewels from Frances Shand Kydd, the late mother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Detectives have revealed that the burglars missed a treasure trove of priceless and sensitive letters written by Diana.

Mrs Shand Kydd, who died last year, admitted during the Old Bailey trial of Paul Burrell that she shredded scores of Diana's sensitive letters - something which infuriated the princess's former butler who felt "history" was being wiped out.

But it has now emerged that many of Diana's letters that survived shredding were kept by Mrs Shand Kydd at her bungalow on the Isle of Seil, near Oban.

Detectives have not revealed the contents of the letters but admit that their potential loss concerned Mrs Shand Kydd the most when she discovered her home had been broken into.

DS Charles Henry, of Oban CID, who is heading the investigation, said: "She went to a bedroom where they were stored and just said 'thank God, they didn't get Diana's letters'.

"They were not hidden away.

"It is a bit of a mystery why they did not take them, considering their value."

The letters are believed to now be in the possession of Mrs Shand Kydd's family.

The gems were stolen from her remote bungalow home in October, 2002.

Despite the raid being featured on BBC's Crimewatch, detectives admit all their leads have gone cold.

The crime happened as Mrs Shand Kydd was giving evidence at the Old Bailey trial of Burrell.

The raid is known to have upset all her children and grandchildren - including Princes William and Harry.

DS Henry said: "We have decided to launch a fresh appeal because we feel that, despite the time that's gone by, something may now jog someone's memory.

"We are appealing to people to come forward with new information."

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SENSITIVE: Shand Kydd