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charles karen spencer fire

Charles Spencer's wife films dramatic fire at Princess Diana's childhood home

Althorp House is a grade I listed property

Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
July 20, 2022
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Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer suffered a home disaster on Tuesday when a fire broke out thanks to the UK's extreme temperatures during the heatwave.

RELATED: Princess Diana's home at Kensington Palace was so stunning

Charles' wife Karen filmed the moment, revealing that there was a fire in the grounds of Althorp House.

"Fire in one of our fields today," she wrote alongside a clip of the blaze and then the next slide read: "Fire department and Althorp team were amazing all under control now."

WATCH: Karen Spencer films dramatic fire at Althorp House

The second video showed the fire brigade marching a hose pipe closer to tackle the outbreak.

Clearly fast action was the key to keeping the wildfire from spreading - and luckily it appears minimal damage was done.

althorp library

Althorp House is so beautiful 

The vast grounds cover a whopping 550 acres and are regularly open for members of the public to tour.

Charles also opens the doors of his private home, so visitors can admire the interiors of the Grade I listed property.

It comprises of 90 rooms including a saloon, which is a grand hallway and a picture gallery. One of the major highlights is the home's grand library, and as such it often features on the property's official Instagram account.

the great room

The Great Room is so grand 

The regal reading room features wooden floors with three patterned rugs, cream walls with endless shelves of books, and a selection of red armchairs and sofas. There are also several palatial chandeliers adding to the grandeur.

For entertaining, the house has a billiard room which has gilded features and plenty of antique artworks. There are also two very impressive dining rooms, firstly the Marlborough Room which serves as a formal dining room, with space to seat up to 42 guests. It is named after Sarah, First Duchess of Marlborough.

Then there is also The Great Room which was used by the 2nd Lord Spencer, George John, for political meetings, but is now used as a family dining room and a space for business conferences. The central design feature is the large giltwood mirrors, designed specifically for this room.

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