Countess Karen Spencer, married to Diana’s brother Charles, the Ninth Earl Spencer, has taken to her popular Instagram account to dispel long-standing rumors surrounding the final resting place of the late Princess of Wales, Princess Diana.
Princess Diana tragically lost her life in a car accident in Paris in 1997, alongside her companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. Her untimely death sent shockwaves around the world, and her funeral on August 6 of the same year at Westminster Abbey was marked by an outpouring of grief.
Following the grand ceremony, Princess Diana’s casket was taken to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, for burial. She was laid to rest within a mausoleum situated on the Oval Lake, a secluded island on the Althorp estate, surrounded by lush and private grounds.
However, over the years, a persistent rumor has circulated that the late Princess Diana was not actually interred at Althorp, as officially documented. Instead, a small faction of individuals believed that she was laid to rest alongside her father, John Spencer, in the family crypt at St Mary’s Church in Great Brington.
Countess Karen Spencer has now publicly addressed these claims through her Instagram account. Responding to an inquiry regarding the rumored alternative burial site, she shared a photograph of the enchanting Oval Lake on the Althorp estate, shrouded in morning mist, with the caption, “The Round Oval looking rather magical in the mist this morning.”
When one commenter queried the possibility of Princess Diana being buried in the family crypt alongside her father, Karen Spencer responded by clarifying the legal requirements in the UK. She noted, “The law in the UK is that she would have needed to be cremated in order to go in the crypt, and that was not what she wanted, so that wasn’t possible.”
This public statement has finally put to rest the enduring speculation about Princess Diana’s burial place. Commenters on Countess Spencer’s post expressed their gratitude for her candid response, acknowledging that it had been the missing piece in over two decades of ongoing speculation.
Countess Spencer regularly shares photographs of the Althorp estate, serving as its chatelaine, or caretaker. She married Earl Spencer in 2010, and together they have a daughter named Charlotte Diana, born in 2012.
Despite not being intimately familiar with Althorp prior to her marriage, Countess Spencer has embraced her role as its chatelaine. She has often shared her growing connection to the estate, remarking, “I will confess that it has sucked me in.”
Althorp House, a historic property built in 1508, has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations. Covering 13,000 acres, the estate comprises cottages, farms, woodlands, and villages, providing a rich mix of landscapes, habitats, and activities.
Both Countess Karen Spencer and Earl Spencer provide glimpses of life at Althorp through their photographs, giving the public a unique window into the house’s history and their own experiences on the estate.
In a recent development, Althorp House was listed on Elysian Estates, an upmarket platform akin to Airbnb for private rentals, granting the opportunity for visitors to experience its rich heritage and serene surroundings.