Princess Diana
Princess Diana's struggles and efforts in giving Prince William and Prince Harry normal lives revealed. (Photo: John Mathew Smith [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)])

A suspected arson attack has destroyed a farmhouse on the Althorp Estate, the ancestral home of Princess Diana and her final resting place. The fire broke out early Tuesday morning and gutted a two-story building on the grounds, according to local fire and police officials. While the main Althorp House was unaffected, the incident has stunned the Spencer family.

"Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse's farmhouses - fortunately, unoccupied at the time - was apparently burnt down by vandals last night," Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, posted on X. "With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do."

The fire service confirmed it was called to the scene at approximately 1:30 a.m. Crews arrived to find the derelict structure on Mill Lane, Kingsthorpe, fully ablaze. Four teams worked to prevent the fire from spreading. By midday, one crew remained to dampen hotspots, according to the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Authorities say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but police have confirmed they are treating it as "suspected arson." Adey Greeno, conservation manager for the estate, said the structure was "razed to the ground" for safety reasons.

 

Princess Diana grew up on the Althorp Estate following her parents' divorce and was buried there after her death in 1997. Her grave is located on a small island in the center of the Round Oval Lake and is inaccessible to the public. The estate, spanning 13,500 acres, opens to visitors each summer.

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recounted visiting the grave with Meghan Markle in 2017. He described how Meghan knelt before the gravestone and placed her palms on it, later telling him she had asked Diana for "clarity and guidance."

Charles Spencer remains custodian of the estate, which will eventually pass to his son, Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, under British primogeniture laws. Despite having older sisters, Louis is heir to the property. His sister, Lady Kitty Spencer, has publicly expressed support for the tradition. "We've grown up understanding that it's Louis to inherit, and Louis will do an incredible job," she previously said.

In 2015, Charles Spencer remarked, "I would be totally relaxed about Kitty inheriting it, but... if I chose Kitty, it would be against all the tradition that goes with Althorp."