Princess Diana’s childhood home will open to the public with a special exhibition this summer. Animals of Althorp will allow visitors to the Althorp Estate to learn more about the Spencer family home and their love of animals, throughout July and August 2019.
The exhibition will showcase a number of antiques and artefacts, including a portrait of the Princess of Wales’ pet cat Marmalade, drawn by Aniela Pawlikowska, who often drew Diana and her siblings as children. Visitors will be given a tour of the Grade I stately home, which has been the Spencer family residence since 1508 and is currently home to Diana’s brother Charles Spencer and his wife Countess Karen Spencer.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAlthorp will open to the public over the summer
A statement about the exhibition said: "Animals are as much a part of the Spencer family’s history as the iconic house itself. The Spencers arrived with their flocks of sheep in this rich grazing land in 1486, and built their home there in 1508. Since then, the verdant pastures and woodlands of oak have been the backdrop to their lives and home to many animals, including the black fallow deer that have roamed the park since the fifteenth century, and which remain the Spencers’ closest neighbours to this day."
MORE: Earl Spencer's wife opens up about life at Althorp
Earl Spencer’s wife recently opened up about life at the 550-acre estate, and said she had done some "major feng shui" since moving into the property to change the energy of the house. Speaking to Town & Country magazine, Charles' third wife said: "My favourite thing about life here is the English country house weekend, which is a completely foreign concept to those of us from North America."
© Photo: Getty ImagesAlthorp was Princess Diana's childhood home
The 46-year-old also said she loved the history of the estate. "The portraits on the walls and the furniture around me are a constant reminder that I am a tiny part of a very big lineage. I hope that I can make a small contribution to the continuation of that legacy," she explained.
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
