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Earl Charles Spencer has shared a picture of The Princess of Wales Room at Althorp House – prompting speculation about whether or not the bedroom was once used by the late Princess Diana.
Named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later became the Princess of Wales upon her marriage to King Edward VII in 1863, Charles Spencer revealed that the interior of the room has remained largely unchanged since 1911.
Althorp House has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations, and Diana herself grew up on the Northamptonshire estate. She is now buried there on a small island surrounded by a lake that mourners frequently visit when the estate is open to the public.
Alongside a post of the lavish room showing its grand four poster-bed, chandelier and ornate paintings, the Earl, 60, wrote: “The Princess of Wales bedroom In the spring of 2003 this room was lavishly re-hung with paintings, but the decoration and furniture have changed very little since 1911.
“The four-poster bedstead, designed after Queen Anne’s 1714 state bed, was made in 1923 using an oak canopy made for the Prince of Wales in 1863 and Italian cut velvet dating from 1911.”
Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who passed away in 1925 at the age of 80, is said to have stayed on the estate as the guest of 5th Earl and Countess Spencer in the 1860s. She later became queen consort of the United Kingdom when Edward VII – nicknamed “Bertie” – took the throne in 1901.
While Althorp House has over 90 rooms, this bedroom piqued the interest of viewers because of its name, prompting them to wonder if it had ever been used by the late Princess of Wales, who passed away at the age of 36 in 1997 following a devastating car crash in Paris.
One curious viewer questioned: “I know this is named after a different Princess of Wales, but I’m curious whether this was Diana’s bedroom when she lived here? I visited in August of this year and wondered the same thing. It’s not specified on the signage next to the room.”
A second similarly asked: “Did Diana ever use this room after she herself became the Princess of Wales?”
Wondering about the Diana’s bedroom itself, a third questioned: “Has her room remained the same as when she lived there?”
The Independent has reached out to Althorp Estate for more information.
Althorp House has recently had a change of occupancy following the Earl’s split from his third wife, Countess Karen Spencer, this summer, who is believed to have vacated the property last month.
Countess Spencer, 52, wrote on Instagram: “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with everyone on social media soon. I’ll be posting more regularly again starting in September.
“I’m currently still at Althorp, and as we move into the fall, I look forward to closing this chapter out with you all and launching the next. I will be sharing an update on my projects and reflecting on all the wonderful things I have learned during my time here on this beautiful estate.”
The Earl Spencer announced that he and his wife of 13 years were parting ways in June, telling the Mail on Sunday: “It is immensely sad.
“I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.”
The couple’s relationship is said to have broken down because of the stress the Earl experienced while writing a memoir about the abuse he endured at boarding school.
They married in June 2011 on the grounds of the Althorp Estate and share a daughter, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, aged 12.
The Earl’s memoir, A Very Private School, also touched upon the impact that their parents’ separation had upon himself and his siblings as children
He revealed that they were largely raised by several nannies, who he claims subjected both him and Diana to abuse.
While the Earl said he does not blame his parents for what happened to him and his siblings growing up, he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that their experience highlights the “disconnect” that can exist between parents and their children in aristocratic families.
