Princess Diana: Inside Her 90-Room Home Althorp House

The Childhood Home Of Princess Diana

Image Source / InsiderHere you can see outside Princess Diana's childhood home once within the grounds. Even before you step inside the house you can see the sheer size and grandeur of this family home. Althorp House, in Northamptonshire, England, is open to the public for visits and tours every summer.

An Aerial View Of The House

Image Source / InsiderHere you can see just how big the house actually is - and the sheer size of the grounds that surround it, including the lake behind the house. The home itself is 100,000 square feet. It dates back to 1508 and has 31 bedrooms - alongside all the other rooms, of course.

The Full Estate Is 14,000 Acres

Image Source / InsiderThis rendering shows a different viewpoint of the house, and how it would have looked hundreds of years ago. This is how the estate would have appeared in the 1800s, though it dates back to 1508. The Duchess of Devonshire, as well as Princess Diana, is a former resident.

Princess Diana's Parents

Image Source / InsiderPrincess Diana was the daughter of John Spencer and Frances Spencer, Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. Here they're pictured in the house in 1955, when they were still together, inside one of the lavish rooms. They divorced in 1969.

John Spencer Remarried Following His Divorce From Diana's Mother

Image Source / InsiderJohn Spencer, Princess Diana's father, married his second wife in 1976. Here he's pictured with Raine, Countess of Dartmouth and his new wife, in 1976 in front of Althorp House. The new couple lived in the house together.

John Spencer And His Wife, The Countess Of Dartmouth, On The Stairway

Image Source / InsiderHere you can see the residents of the home during this time sat on the grand staircase, surrounded by candelabras and a chandelier overhead. As well as the 31 bedrooms, the house also includes a great room, a ballroom and a portrait hallway which is lined with portraits and family busts.

Diana's Brother Gives A Tour Around The Home

Image Source / InsiderAs you'd expect from any stately home, the house is lined with extensive (and expensive!) private collections of artwork, furniture and ceramics. Here, Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, gives a tour to show some of these collections. Now the 9th Earl Spencer, he would guide tourists around the house on his breaks from school.

Althorp's Portrait Gallery

Image Source / InsiderHere you can see the main staircase which is surrounded overhead by the house's picture gallery. It includes plenty of notable works of art, including portraits of King Charles I (who ruled England from 1625 to 1649) and the famous 1637 portrait 'War and Peace'.Image Source / InsiderThis is one of the extravagant bedrooms where guests of the house would have stayed. Guests in this room include Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as other royal family members. Churchill began writing his memoirs in this house, too.

The 1st Earl Spencer Was Married In This Room

Image Source / InsiderAnother one of the stately guest bedrooms in the house, this one was actually where the 1st Earl Spencer (with Diana's father being the 8th) married his fiancée Georgiana Poyntz. Their marriage in this room, taking place in 1755, was actually a secret ceremony (which makes sense why they'd decide to get married in a bedroom). At the time, it was the Earl's mother's dressing room.

Diana's Father At His Desk In The Library

Image Source / InsiderThe library of the house had 10,000 books in its collection, beginning in 1892. Would a stately home really be royal if it didn't have an impressive library? But that's not the most amount of books the house has ever had. The 2nd Earl Spencer once had around 43,000 books in 8 different rooms.

The House Once Included A Princess Diana Exhibit

Image Source / InsiderThe Princess Diana exhibit at Althorp House, before closing in 2014, showed off 150 items from Diana's life. The collection for visitors to view and tour included her wedding dress. The items were displayed at the exhibit whilst Diana's brother owned them, but when Prince Harry turned 30, the items were transferred to her sons at Kensington Palace.

Princess Diana Is Buried At Althorp House

Image Source / InsiderDiana's remains are buried on an island in the centre of the lake at Althorp House. This tribute was laid by her family members in her honour. The Spencer family also had 36 oak trees planted on the grounds - one for every year of Diana's life.

There Is Also A Small Memorial For Diana At The Lake

Image Source / InsiderThis small memorial near to the lake where Diana is laid to rest includes quotes and a silhouette of the Princess on the wall. The quotes are one from Diana, which reads:

"Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life — a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."

The other quote is from the speech Diana's brother made at her funeral.

Diana's Father Stands In Wootton Hall

Image Source / ExpressWootton Hall is the name given to the grand entrance hall of Althorp House. It's located on the ground floor, and is named after the equestrian painter John Wootton. Wootton was actually commissioned by the Spencers in 1733 to create some paintings for the entrance hall, which still hang there. One of the most notable features is the checkerboard flooring.

Charles Spencer, Diana's Brother, In The Sunderland Room

Image Source / ExpressHere pictured with Dame Darcey Bussell, an English ballet dancer, Charles Spencer, Diana's brother, sits in the Sunderland room, one of the many lavish rooms in the stately home, notable for the deep and rich colours and furnishings.

Althorp House Is Where Diana And Charles Met

Image Source / ExpressDiana's childhood home was also where she met her further husband and father of her children, Prince Charles. This meeting would also be the beginning of Diana's tragic life and untimely death. The home was also where she was laid to rest in 1997.

Earl Spencer And His Wife In The Drawing Room

Image Source / ExpressThe drawing room is one example of the lavish and warm decoration inside this house - with soft rugs, thick carpets, huge fireplaces and extravagant fabric wallpaper. This particular drawing room has gone for hues of soft pink rather than deep Tudor reds.

Diana's Father In One Of The Lounges

Image Source / ExpressYou can see here another example of how each room is decorated and furnished so differently. This lounge that the Earl is taking tea in is furnished with brightly coloured and floral sofas. No doubt some of the rooms are decorated to more personal family taste, and some are more formal for the public.

A Better View Of The Grand Staircase

Image Source / ExpressHere you can see a better angle of the house's famous grand staircase, and what it would feel like to stand atop it. You can see a lush carpet running down the stairs, face a beautiful chandelier, as well as be on the same level as the expensive artwork that lines the walls.

Diana's Brother, The 9th Earl Spencer, Currently Lives In The House

Image Source / ExpressEarl Charles Spencer is the current Earl and owner (and resident) of the house. He inherited the house when his father died. 20 generations of the Spencer family have lived in Althorp House, and their bloodline even traces back to George Washington.

Princess Diana Was 14 When She Moved Into The House

Image Source / Woman & HomePrincess Diana and her siblings were originally born and raised in a different house - Park House, which was on the Queen's Sandringham estate. When her father inherited the Earl Spencer title in 1975, it was then that he moved his family to Althorp when Diana would have been a young teen.

The Extravagant Dining Table

Image Source / Woman & HomeEarl Charles Spencer, Diana's brother and its current resident, regularly shares images of inside the house and from its grounds on social media. He shared this photo of the dining table in the Picture Gallery, fully dressed with flowers and set with candles and cutlery.

A Misty Shot Of A Cedar Tree In The Grounds

Image Source / Woman & HomeAnother great shot that Earl Charles Spencer shared to his Instagram account: this photo of an ancient cedar tree, which was actually planted by one of Charles's distant relatives in the 1830s. Apparently his great great great grandmother, who planted the trees, said that they would not look their best until their great grandchildren's time.

A Different View Of The Wootton Hall

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorThe large portraits of the fox hunts and horses were those commissioned by the Spencer family. And here you can also get a better look at the marble black and white checkerboard floor, which covers the whole entrance hall. The room is also complemented by a huge overhead light fixture.

An Alternate View Of The Grand Staircase

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorFrom this view at the bottom of the grand staircase, you can't see the overhead paintings, but you can see the amazing roof detailing overhead, which draws the eye just as much as those chandeliers do. As you can see, there are also portraits lining the walls at the bottom of the staircase, too.

Inside The South Drawing Room

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorThis room is located in the west wing of Althorp house. It shows off a lighter colour scheme in blues and greens, with a fashionable Georgian feel to it. The stone fireplace was built in 1802. This room is also known as the Rubens Room, due to the artist responsible for some of its paintings.

A Collection Of Miniature Portraits

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorIncluded in the South drawing room is also this collection of miniature portraits, which are displayed in one of the room's alcoves. The display cabinet includes portraits of famous people, like Admiral Lord Nelson. Can you spot anyone else?

The Marlborough Room

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorNot to be confused with the house's main dining room (though it may look like it), the Marlborough Room is next to the Sunderland Room. It's named in honour of the Duchess of Marlborough. It has been used for formal dinners for up to 42 guests, with a dining table in rosewood Victorian style.

A Closer Look At The Picture Gallery

Image Source / The Enchanted ManorThis is certainly one room that any visitor will want to spend some time in. Lined with portraits, the Picture Gallery is on the first floor of the west wing. 10 of these portraits are paintings of all 10 mistresses of King Charles II. The oak flooring also used to be painted white before the paint was removed.