Without wishing to be critical of Princess Diana, I would like to put in perspective John Michon's assertion that the Princess 'sought press attention primarily to highlight charitable causes and other good works' (letter, South China Morning Post, September 16). At the height of her marital problems, she sought the help of national papers to put her side of the story, according to a secret letter obtained and published by The Guardian on January 12, 1993. It was such revelations by the Princess, and by Prince Charles, that became a main part of the UK Government's case for tighter curbs on the press. The letter revealed that the Queen's Private Secretary had misled the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) by denying the Princess' involvement, which led Lord McGregor, PCC chairman, to condemn the press for 'dabbling in the stuff of other people's souls' only to have to retract his statement later. Then in 1995, the Princess gave an unprecedented interview to BBC's Panorama in which aspects of her private life were discussed. This prompted Lord Wakeham, the new PCC chairman, to declare that 'privacy can be compromised if we voluntarily bring our private life into the public domain'. K. Y. TSUI Kowloon
