Princess Diana Sent Burt Reynolds a Thank You Note for His Divorce

There is much to reflect upon in the wake of Burt Reynolds’ death. The Smokey and the Bandit start lived an extraordinary life, but something he received in the mail at a tumultuous time in his life gave him pause.

During his 1993 divorce to Loni Anderson, Reynolds got a thank you note from Princess Diana. Reynolds and Anderson were married in 1988 and their marriage crumbled in epic fashion with details on Loni’s diva antics dominating headlines. At the same time, Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage was in crisis mode. While many had believed they had a fairytale marriage, it was anything but. Stories of betrayal and affairs between these two royals dominated the tabloids and the news.

Reynolds’ divorce provided a bit of relief to Princess Diana, but not in the way some might automatically assume. In his 2015 book “Enough About Me,” the Deliverance star shared that the note he received from the People’s Princess thanked him for taking some attention away from her own marital problems. It was a humiliating time for Diana and she appreciated the momentary reprieval that Reynolds and Anderson’s divorce provided.

“We announced the separation, the press went into high gear,” Reynolds wrote. “Princess Diana sent me a thank you note for keeping her off the cover of People Magazine.”

People don’t typically receive thank you notes for getting divorced or any sort of mail from someone expected to be the next Queen of England. This unexpected message likely provided Reynolds with a much-needed chuckle during his very public divorce.

Reynolds has stated that marrying Loni Anderson was a mistake. He accused the “WKRP” star of “buying everything in triplicate, from every day dresses to jewelry to china and linens” and maxing out a $45,000 credit card limit in a just 90 minutes.

The costly divorce coupled with Anderson’s spending forced Reynolds to file for bankruptcy three years later. Much to his dismay, his financial payments to Anderson didn’t actually end until 2015 when he sold some of his memorabilia items in order to hand her a final check in the six figures.

Source: Inquisitr