GRAY (AP) – Several letters and a Christmas card from Princess Diana are among more than 300 items from the estate of fashion editor Liz Tilberis that will go on the auction block this week.

Tilberis was editor British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Before she died of cancer in 1999 at age 51, Tilberis was deeply involved in the glitzy world of high fashion and design and hobnobbed with world celebrities like Princess Diana.

The auction is scheduled for Wednesday at the Cyr Auction Gallery in this southern Maine town. Auctioneer James Cyr speculated, based on inquires he received, that the family of Diana’s late boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, might be among the bidders. Dodi died with the princess in a 1997 car crash in Paris.

Cyr also expects collectors, people in the fashion industry and who follow it to be among 200 to 300 bidders.

Pieces likely to attract the most attention are eight letters to Tilberis from Diana, which are expected to fetch about $32,000, or $4,000 each. Bids will also be accepted on a Christmas card signed by Diana.

Other items to be auctioned include Oriental rugs, antique furniture, several pieces of artwork and some of Tilberis’ jewelry. Four Versace tops made for Tilberis with personalized labels, a sketch of Tilberis by designer Karl Lagerfeld, and a full set of Versace china will also be up for bid.

Tilberis, who had been a familiar face at Paris fashion shows, helped to raise money for cancer research while she was sick. She wrote a book about her struggles called “No Time to Die.” Her husband, Andrew Tilberis, is donating part of the auction’s proceeds to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

In the United States, Tilberis lived in East Hampton, Long Island, N.Y.

Cyr learned during the winter that Tilberis’ husband was seeking to sell some of her possessions.

He went to Long Island to inquire about taking some items on consignment, and Tilberis decided to participate in a full-blown auction.

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