Princess Diana's Brother Is "Stunned" That Their Childhood Home Was Targeted in "Disturbing" Suspected Arson
Earl Spencer wrote that an 18th-century building on the Althorp Estate was "torched by vandals."


Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, has spoken out after a shocking incident on the family's estate. Princess Diana grew up—and is buried on—the 13,000-acre Althorp estate, which is now run by Earl Spencer. On Wednesday, May 28, he shared that a historic building on the property burnt down in a suspected arson incident.
"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 showing the property on fire. "Sincere thanks to @northantsfire for trying to save it."
He continued in an X post that he was "stunned to learn" of the incident, adding, "So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do."
Earl Spencer shared a photo of the blaze on X.
The historic farmhouse was destroyed in the fire.
The main building, Althorp House, was untouched during the incident, but according to David Fawkes, chief executive of the Althorp Estate, an 18th-century farmhouse was "completely destroyed by the fire" (via People).
He continued that the house and its surrounding farm buildings "have been unoccupied for several years and the site is scheduled for redevelopment as part of the Dallington Grange development."
According to the BBC, the Northamptonshire Police said the fire has "not been recorded as a crime at present, but this could change if there is evidence to indicate it was started deliberately."
Princess Diana is buried on a peaceful island situated in the middle of Althorp's Oval Lake, and last fall, Earl Spencer told Good Morning Britain that he visits her grave via rowboat "pretty much every day."
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.
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