Princess Diana grew up in a large stately home, Althorp House in Northamptonshire, and while she left an extensive inheritance to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, they won’t be entitled to this grand home – here’s why…
The impressive 13,500-acre property is currently in the hands of Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, and following the historic rule, one day he will pass it down to his eldest son, Louis. It is a Spencer family tradition, as with many aristocratic families, that the oldest male inherits the estate, so despite Louis having an older sister, Kitty, it is believed he will become the proprietor of the property instead of her.
© Alamy Stock PhotoAlthorp house, seat of Earl Spencer and childhood home of Diana Princess of Wales
The 90-room building and its stunning grounds are open for the public to see inside each summer, and Charles has a dedicated Instagram account to keep fans up to date with the goings-on at the glorious home.
The spectacular library is a decadent room that has been featured on social media. It features wooden floors with three large, patterned rugs, cream walls with endless shelves of books, and a selection of red armchairs and sofas. There are also several palatial chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The Althorp library is a favourite room of Charles’There are multiple dining rooms in the house, making it the perfect place to host a lavish dinner party, and inside the property, there is a picture gallery with fine artworks from around the world.
Princess Diana’s final resting place
© Photo: Getty ImagesFollowing Diana’s death, the royal was laid to rest on a small island in the grounds of Althorp, located in the middle of the ornamental Round Oval Lake.
In Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, he detailed the day that he took his wife, Meghan Markle, to pay their respects at his late mother’s graveside, including what went wrong.
© Getty ImagesHarry wanted to be laid to rest with his mother one day
The royal explained that Diana’s resting place requires a boat to get to, as it is located in the centre of an oval lake. All didn’t go as planned as the vessel got stuck in the mud, but luckily Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer was on hand to give them “a little push”.
Harry has even expressed a wish to be buried next to his mother; however, his request wasn’t granted.
He has now opted for Frogmore House instead, which is where he and Meghan Markle held their 2018 wedding reception and also where their son Prince Archie spent the first few months of his life, being raised at Frogmore Cottage, which is situated on the grounds.
In his book, Harry describes the setting of Frogmore as “tranquil” and that was his reasoning for selecting it.
Harry has a fondness for Frogmore HouseFather-of-seven Charles resides at Althorp with girlfriend Cat Jarman. Charles shares his youngest daughter with his ex-wife, Karen Spencer.
Prior to that, he was married to Caroline Freud in 2001, and the couple welcomed two children, Edmund in 2003 and Larain in 2006.
He is also a father to four children from his first marriage to Victoria Lockwood – Lady Kitty, Lady Eliza, Lady Amelia and Louis Spencer.