Why Princess Diana’s grave got a US$27 million makeover thanks to her brother, Earl Charles Spencer: grave-robbers, an overgrown landscape and public outrage

Sep 12 , 2021

After being neglected and facing numerous attempted robberies, Althorp Estate is back to being immaculate, and the perfect resting place for the late Princess Diana. Photos: @althorphouse, @a1ison.w/Instagram; AP

The late people’s princess was buried on an island in the middle of Round Oval lake at her childhood home – but her coffin was targeted four times by grave-robbers

Her former chef, Darren McGrady, took to Twitter to express his outrage about the ‘neglected’ state of her burial site – and the British royals responded with a revamp

When Princess Diana’s funeral took place on September 6, 1997, the world’s eyes were on her childhood home, Althorp, as it was chosen as the spot that would become her final resting place.

Princess Diana. Photo: @diana.princess.wales/Instagram

She was interred on an island in the middle of the estate’s Round Oval lake. Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, wrote in his book Althorp: The Story of an English House that the spot was chosen to “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 tranquillity, this was the place for Diana to be”.

The site of Princess Diana’s grave is located inside of Althorp Estate in Northampton. Photo: @HufflepuffKanya/Twitter

This wasn’t to be, however. Shockingly, on at least four occasions, grave-robbers have targeted Diana’s coffin. This has been confirmed by her brother, who told BBC Radio 4: “We have had four attempted break-ins towards her body in the last 20 years. I am very glad that we have seen all of them off.” He confirmed, however, that he still considered the site the safest place for Diana’s remains to be.

The island on which Diana is laid to rest is known as The Oval. Photo: @Diana6197Davis/Twitter

The gravesite was also the centre of controversy when visitors, who had paid their respects to the “people’s princess”, expressed outrage and dismay over the way the location had been seemingly neglected. Chief among the critics was Diana’s former personal chef, Darren McGrady, who tweeted a picture back in 2014 of the overgrown island with the caption: “If I cared for Princess Diana in life as you are doing in death I would have been fired @AlthorpEstate #CleanTheLake”.

McGrady was visiting the 500-year-old estate, the home of the Spencer family for 18 generations, to pay his respects to his former employer. In another tweet, he added: “Sad to see Earl Spencer has neglected Diana’s resting place. Please tidy up the vegetation on the island.” The chef also penned a blog post saying: “It was a mess and in my opinion no place for a princess.”

Diana’s final resting site is serene and tranquil. Photo: @nigelvpollard/Instagram

This prompted a response from Earl Spencer and the estate management, and they announced a multimillion-dollar revamp and remodelling of the gravesite.

Princess Diana’s grave at Althorp. Photo: @althorphouse/Instagram