Princess Diana’s childhood home Althorp House in Northamptonshire has been listed on an upmarket Airbnb-style website. The property, whose prices are only available on demand, offers guests ‘unparalleled levels of service, privacy and luxury’ according to Elysian Estates.
However, while a number of features are listed, including its 26+ bedrooms, library, and concierge service, the royal’s burial site, which is on the property’s vast grounds, is not. It is thought that the grave, which is not open to the public, will not be open to guests renting the property. According to the listing, the property is ‘one of the most spectacular, luxurious and exclusive venues in the UK.’
It continues: ‘The ancestral home of the Spencer family, Althorp stands sentinel in its vast private estate, with a magnificent exterior matched by the beauty of the surrounding parkland. Althorp offers unparalleled levels of service, privacy and luxury to rival the finest properties anywhere in the world; yet retains the truly welcoming and homely feel that makes Althorp so special. Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens, feast or celebrate in spectacular surroundings, marvel at the sense of history and artwork, and slumber in pure luxury.’ It adds that staying at the home means becoming ‘part of the amazing history of this magnificent property’, which it says has offered ‘discreet yet spectacular hospitality’ to guests since 1508.
The Earl Spencer (pictured with his nephew Harry), who was Diana’s younger brother, is a British peer, author and broadcaster. He inherited the family seat of Althorp estate on the death of his father in 1992 and lives there with his third wife, Karen, and their daughter Lady Charlotte. The late Princess was laid to rest at her childhood home of Althorp House, on the island in the middle of the Round Oval Lake, in 1997. The island is located at the centre of the Spencer family’s 500-year-old ancestral estate, which spans 13,000 acres surrounding its walled 500-acre park.
Following Diana’s death 36 oak trees were planted to mark each year of her life, along with hundreds of white water lilies and roses. In 2014 Diana’s former chef attacked her brother Earl Spencer for neglecting her final resting place at the family’s Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire. At the time Darren McGrady, who cooked for Diana and the Queen posted several photographs of the memorial on Twitter, showing the lake near her grave covered in algae. Taking to Twitter, Mr McGrady said: ‘If I cared for Princess Diana in life as you are doing in death I would have been fired. Please tidy up the vegetation on the island. Made me so sad to see how Althorp Estate has neglected Princess Diana’s resting place.’
However, the estate maintained that the burial site was being well looked after, and said the hot summer months had caused the algae to spread quickly, making it more difficult to remove. In 2016, it was announced that her grave was to be given a multi-million pound facelift following complaints it was being ‘neglected.’ A spokesman said: ‘The Oval Lake where Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest is undergoing an extensive redesign to honour her memory. It will be completed in time for the 20th anniversary of her death, in August 2017.’ The grave was re-dedicated by The Archbishop of Canterbury in 2017 ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death. Pictured: Diana’s coffin arriving at Westminster Abbey as then-Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Earl Spencer, Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh look on. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12581279/Royal-fans-stay-Princess-Dianas-childhood-home-Earl-Spencer-lists-Grade-listed-Althorp-House-sleeps-54-posh-Airbnb-style-site.html?ito=msngallery
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