Earl Spencer's wife Karen has revealed the real reason that Princess Diana was buried at Althorp House in Northamptonshire rather than her family crypt.
On Tuesday, the Countess shared two photographs of the serene lake where the late Princess of Wales has been laid to rest and that prompted one fan to enquire: "I saw online that she may have been buried in the family crypt with her father in a church which was used by the spencer family."
Karen was quick to respond, explaining: "The law in the UK is that she would have needed to be cremated in order to go in the crypt and that was not what she wanted, so that wasn’t possible."
Fans were grateful and surprised about the way the clarification was made, with one writing: "Thank you for publicly addressing this longstanding myth. A statement from the family has been the missing piece in 26 years of speculation," and another adding: "Agreed this is the first public statement from the family. A bit bizarre it's in the Instagram comments section but at least it's now been addressed!"
Did you know that the lake once had a bridge to reach the island where the late Diana is now, but it was removed for security reasons?
Prince Harry revealed all in his memoir Spare, explaining: "The bridge had been removed, to give my mother privacy, to keep intruders away."
Over the years, Princes William and Harry have paid multiple visits to Diana's resting place and Harry has even taken Meghan Markle to pay her respects.
MORE: Princess Diana's fans moved by 'hauntingly beautiful' grave photo
But has King Charles visited Diana's grave? Earl Spencer revealed to BBC Radio Five in 2001 that the royal was yet to pay a visit. "Prince Charles has an open invitation, as he knows, to come to the memorial but he has yet to take up that invitation," he said.
Althorp is currently closed to members of the public, but it will reopen next summer so fans can tour the stunning grounds and historical rooms.
In the meantime, the website Spencer 1508 has a wealth of fascinating videos inside the grounds and walls of the property. Plus, the free weekly newsletter will keep you up to date on the goings on at Althorp including their mammoth renovation project.
See the best photographs inside Althorp House
© Photo: Twitter
