Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Digital Cover royalty© Princess Diana Archive

Charles Spencer shares beautiful video of Princess Diana's final resting place

The late Princess of Wales is buried in the grounds of Althorp House

Millie Jackson
Content Managing Editor
September 13, 2024
Share this:

Charles Spencer has shared a serene video via Instagram of the "tranquil" spot where his beloved sister, the late Princess Diana, was laid to rest. 

The Princess of Wales was buried on an island in the centre of the Oval Lake in Althorp Park's Pleasure Garden at her family's ancestral home of Althorp House. Nearby is an arboretum containing trees planted by the Princess's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. 

An aerial view of the burial site of Diana, Princess of Wales on the Round Oval lake © David Goddard
An aerial view of Princess Diana's burial site

The Earl captioned the video: "Beautiful birdsong down by the Round Oval Lake at Althorp House just now." 

The island was visible from the video© Instagram
The island was visible from the video

Princess Diana was not buried in the family vault in the nearby village of Great Brington, as was the original plan. 20 generations of Spencers over five hundred years had been buried in Spencer Chapel, but her brother decided in the interests of security that she be buried on the island. 

The BBC reported at the time: "[Earl Spencer] was concerned about public safety and security and wanted his sister to be buried where her grave could be looked after properly and visited in privacy by her sons." 

Charles with the royals at Princess Diana's funeral© Getty
Charles with the royals at Princess Diana's funeral

In 1998, he said the island would "act as a buffer against the interventions of the insane and ghoulish, the thick mud presenting a further line of defence. We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be." 

WATCH: Charles Spencer says Princess Diana's grave is 'an oasis of calm'

While the commital was private, the Princess also had a public funeral at Westminster Abbey. 

Prince Harry wrote about taking his wife, Meghan, to his mother's final resting place in his memoir, Spare. He wrote: "I led Meg up the path, around a hedge, through the labyrinth. There it was, looming: the grayish white oval stone. No visit to this place was ever easy, but this one... Twenty-fifth anniversary. And Meg's first time. At long last I was bringing the girl of my dreams home to meet mum. 

 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan in black dress© Getty
Prince Harry took his wife to Althorp

"We hesitated, hugging, and then I went first. I placed flowers on the grave. Meg gave me a moment, and I spoke to my mother in my head, told her I missed her, asked her for guidance and clarity. Feeling that Meg might also want a moment, I went around the hedge, scanned the pond. When I came back, Meg was kneeling, eyes shut, palms against the stone. I asked, as we walked back to the boat, what she’d prayed for. Clarity, she said. And guidance." 

The Prince also stayed at Althorp during his most recent visit to the UK as he joined Prince William at their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes' funeral at St Mary's Church in Snettisham, Norfolk.  

Althorp House has also had a dramatic weekend, with a fire started by what the Earl described as "youths in balaclavas" on an empty industrial unit on the estate. 

LISTEN: Inside Norway's royal wedding

LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

Princess Kate wearing black and white polka dots and a hat

If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with the royals – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…

What is it?

Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.

Member benefits

  • Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
  • Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
  • Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
  • Participation in polls, comments and discussion threads
  • Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
  • Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
  • Invitations to in-person and virtual events
  • A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
  • Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits

By royal decree

You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more