Charles Spencer will soon be opening the doors to Althorp, the childhood home of Princess Diana, and ahead of this, the Earl has been carrying out some works.
One of the places that Charles has been renovating is the memorial temple, which pays tribute to his late sister. Sharing a picture of the structure, the father-of-seven revealed that every part of it had been repainted. “Beautifully repainted this week – the memorial temple at Althorp,” he wrote. “Wonderful to see it looking so fine for the summer.”
The memorial temple is an incredibly poignant part of the Althorp estate, and it’s where many gather to pay their respects to the late Princess of Wales.
The temple is not, however, the burial site of Diana. The late royal’s resting place is instead on an artificial island inside the estate’s oval lake. Its secluded nature is to prevent too many people from gathering around it.
Fans were touched by the Earl’s dedication to the site, with one saying: “It’s as if this place could resonate with how beautiful Diana’s soul was and still is and the light she represented in this world, it’s so delicate, beautiful, a worthy place where she can rest in peace.”
A second added: “So meaningful, so beautiful, so timeless. It could be a lovely painting,” and a third commented: “Beautiful but heartbreaking.”
Although nowadays the temple is dedicated to Diana’s memory, back in 2022, Charles revealed that this hadn’t always been the case.
© InstagramExplaining its history, he wrote: “Beautiful autumn colours in the grounds of @althorphouse today. This temple, now dedicated to my late sister’s memory, was originally commissioned by our ancestor George John Spencer. He was in charge of the Royal Navy in the early part of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1798 initial reports from Egypt said the British fleet had been destroyed in a crucial battle by the French. George John fainted with shock.
“When the true version of the Battle of the Nile followed, outlining what was an astonishing victory by Nelson over the French, George John had this structure built – in thanks to God. It overlooks the Round Oval lake at Althorp and has become the place where kind visitors like to leave flowers in memory of Diana.”
Recent fire
Last month, Charles shared the disturbing news that a building on the estate had been targeted by “vandals”, with the group setting fire to an old farmhouse.
© X / @cspencer1508“Stunned to learn that one of the @AlthorpHouse’s farmhouses – fortunately, unoccupied at the time – was apparently burnt down by vandals last night,” he shared alongside an image showing the damage.
“With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this is a fun thing to do.”
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