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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's childhood home and resting place 'targeted by arsonists' as farmhouse burned down
Arsonists targeted a farmhouse at the childhood home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales in the early hours of Wednesday. The late royal's younger brother Earl Spencer took to social media on Wednesday to reveal that the structure at Althorp House, Northamptonshire had been burned by vandals at around 1.30am. He posted on X, formerly knwon as Twitter: "Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse's farmhouses — fortunately, unoccupied at the time — was apparently burnt down by vandals last night. "With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do." More details about the destruction of the farmhouse on the Dallington Grange were provided by the estate's gamekeeper Adey Greeno. He said: 'The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons. So sad. The world we live in.' Northamptonshire Police said the incident had "not been recorded as a crime at present, but this could change if there is evidence to indicate it was started deliberately'. Meanwhile, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said the two-storey building was "fully' alight when crews arrived. The brigade told the BBC firefighters with breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further. One firefighter will reportedly remain on the scene with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots. David Fawkes, chief executive of the Althorp Estate, said: "The house and farm buildings have been unoccupied for several years and the site is scheduled for redevelopment as part of the Dallington Grange development. "The farmhouse was built in the late 18th Century, and it has been completely destroyed by the fire, but the surrounding outbuildings are undamaged. Our priority is to secure the site and make sure it is safe. "We are very grateful to Northampton Fire and Rescue Service and the estate team for dealing with the fire so effectively. We don't know how the fire started." Diana — the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry — lived in the Grade I-listed stately home from the time her parents John Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd divorced in 1969 to her marriage to King Charles, then Prince of Wales, in 1981. The princess tragically died aged 36, alongside her companion Dodi Fayed, 42, and driver Henri Paul, 41, following a car crash in Paris in 1997. She was burried on a small island in an ornamental lake — known as The Oval — within the grounds of the 13,000-acre country estate, which has belonged to the Spencer family since the 16th century. Opened in July 1998, the memorial is visited by approximately 150,000 people a year. In his 1998 book Althorp: The Story of an English House, Earl Spencer revealed the family's decision to bury his sibling on The Oval, saying: 'We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be.'
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
'Very sad': Fire tears through the late Princess Diana's historic family estate in suspected arson attack
A suspected act of vandalism has left Earl Charles Spencer "stunned" after a farmhouse on the historic Althorp Estate, Princess Diana's childhood home and final resting place, was destroyed in a late-night blaze. The 61-year-old author and younger brother of the late Princess took to social media on Wednesday to reveal the fire broke out at about 1.30am, engulfing a remote farmhouse on the Northamptonshire property. "Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse's farmhouses- fortunately, unoccupied at the time- was apparently burnt down by vandals last night," Spencer wrote on X. "With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do." Just hours earlier, Spencer had hosted a barbecue for the Northamptonshire Steelbacks cricket team on the estate, which has been in the Spencer family since 1508. "Last night, we were delighted to host @northantsccc for a relaxed dinner with their players, coaches, girlfriends and wives," the official Althorp House Instagram account shared. "The Spencer family has proudly supported the club for the last 120 years, with @ serving as Patron." It is unclear when the event concluded, but firefighters were called shortly after midnight to respond to the fire, which had broken out in the two-storey farmhouse located roughly eight kilometres from the grade I-listed main house. "At the height of the fire, four crews from across the service wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further," Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue said in a statement. "One crew remained on the scene into this afternoon with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots, and then returned to their station shortly before 1pm." While police have not officially declared the fire a criminal offence, they told the BBC the incident could be upgraded if evidence supports it being deliberately lit. But Althorp's head gamekeeper, Adey Greeno, who has worked on the estate for over three decades, was unequivocal in his belief that the fire was started intentionally. "The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons," he posted on X. "So sad. The world we live in." The Althorp Estate is not only steeped in centuries of aristocratic history, but is also the childhood home of Princess Diana, and the place where she was laid to rest following her tragic death in 1997. The 13,000-acre estate is open to the public during the summer months and in recent years has become a site of major archaeological interest. In May 2023, Earl Spencer announced he had been excavating the remains of a Roman villa believed to date back to around 100 AD. He was joined on the dig by Norwegian archaeologist Professor Cat Jarman, who would later become his girlfriend. The following year, the father-of-seven confirmed his separation from his third wife, Countess Karen Spencer, after 13 years of marriage. It is understood that the breakdown coincided with the writing of his memoir, A Very Private School, which explores the trauma he experienced during his boarding school years. Countess Spencer, who has an 11-year-old daughter named Charlotte Diana with the Earl, announced her departure from Althorp House in February. "Well…at long last, three weeks ago, we finally moved into our temporary new home," the 52-year-old Canadian entrepreneur shared on social media. "...This new chapter is already taking shape."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's Childhood Home Suffers Damage in 'Suspected Arson'
The estate where Princess Diana grew up was partially damaged in a "suspected arson." Her brother Charles Spencer photographed the blaze, which he called "deeply disturbing." Northamptonshire Police, per People, are investigating the of Princess Diana's childhood home—and her current resting place—was torched in a "suspected arson" attack last night. According to her brother Charles Spencer, the fire at Althorp Estate in Northampton, England has since been put out. "Luckily unoccupied at the time—but still deeply disturbing that one of our farmhouses was torched by vandals last night," Spencer wrote in an Instagram story depicting the blaze. "Sincere thanks to @northantsfire for trying to save it," he continued, shouting out local firemen. In an email to People, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service explained that the property's main home, in which Diana was raised, wasn't damaged by the flames. "The fire was at land on the Althorp estate in Mill Lane, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, rather than at Althorp House," they clarified. The fire department was contacted at approximately 1:30 a.m. on May 28. "Crews arrived to find a derelict two-story property fully on fire," the statement continued. "At the height of the fire, four crews from across the Service wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further." The blaze was officially put out by the afternoon as one crewmember "dampened down any remaining hotspots." Local police officially said they are "investigating a suspected arson at a derelict farmhouse on the Althorp Estate." The property's conservation manager Adey Greeno revealed that the damage was extensive and that the farmhouse needed to be razed "for safety reasons." "The fire, which was reported in the early hours of this morning, is believed to have been started deliberately. However, the exact cause is yet to be determined," Northamptonshire Police's statement continued. Princess Diana's remains are buried on a secluded island part of the Althorp Estate. Last year, Charles revealed that he paid her grave a visit on Christmas Eve via Instagram. "My favorite bench—good place to sit on Christmas Eve during a quiet moment," he captioned the photo, taken at The Temple at Althorp House, which became a memorial to Diana following her death. Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's Childhood Home Burns: Brother Blames 'Vandals'
Princess Diana's childhood home was targeted by arsonists says her brother, Charles Spencer. The 9th Earl Spencer said on Instagram that one of Althorp House's unoccupied farmhouses was burnt to the ground and he suspects foul play. Althorp House is the childhood home of Charles, Diana, and their sisters Sarah and Jane and it is where the earl resides today. In an Instagram story, Spencer wrote, per Express, "Stunned to learn that one of Althorp House's farmhouses - fortunately, unoccupied at the time - was apparently burnt down by vandals last night. With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do." Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue shared their own Instagram post regarding the incident on Instagram. A photo showed the burned structure and a caption which read, "The Service remains on scene after a fire on Mill Lane in Kingsthorpe. We were called at around 1:30am this morning (May 28) and crews arrived to find an unoccupied two-story property fully on fire." It continued, "At the height of the fire, four crews from across the Service wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further. This morning, one crew remains on the scene with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots." The property covers approximately 13,000 acres. In total, Althorp estate contains 28 listed buildings and structures. Spencer, the 9th Earl, has resided at Althorp since 1992 since inheriting the estate upon his father's death. He remains the home's owner and caretaker of the home, and for 32 decades, the main house has been his primary residence. The Spencer family moved to Althorp in 1975 when Diana's father, John Spencer, became the 8th Earl. She lived there with her family members before moving to London in 1979. After marrying then-Prince Charles in 1980, the late princess regularly returned to Althorp for family visits. After her death at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris, France, in August 1997, Diana returned to her ancestral home one last time for burial. Per PEOPLE, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry is interred on an island in the center of an ornamental lake known as The Oval. The gravesite is not accessible to the public. However, visitors can pay tribute to the late Princess of Wales at a memorial erected on the property. Althorp Estate is opened to the public every year throughout the summer months. Visitors can tour the State Apartments, Diana's suite of rooms, the estate's gardens, her memorial, a museum of Spencer family artifacts, and the family chapel. Princess Diana's Childhood Home Burns: Brother Blames 'Vandals' first appeared on Parade on May 28, 2025
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's Childhood Home Targeted in Suspected Arson Attack as Brother Charles Spencer Speaks Out
A building on Princess Diana's childhood estate and final resting place, Althorp House, has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack, the family has confirmed. On Wednesday, May 28, Charles Spencer, the late Princess of Wales' younger brother, thanked firefighters while announcing the incident, which occurred the night prior, in an Instagram Stories post. "Luckily unoccupied at the time - but still deeply disturbing that one of our farmhouses was torched by vandals last night," Spencer wrote alongside a photo. "Sincere thanks to @northantsfire for trying to save it," he added. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service clarified in an email to PEOPLE, "The fire was at land on the Althorp estate in Mill Lane, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, rather than at Althorp House." This is a developing story. More to follow. Read the original article on People
