The conservation manager of Althorp House, where Princess Diana lived as a teenager and was laid to rest following her tragic death in 1997, shared a sweet glimpse of some unexpected wildlife at the weekend.
Taking to Twitter, Adey Greeno shared an incredible shot of an ibis on the water, dipping its head for some food. "Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)," he captioned the photo, adding: "I was busy watching a cuckoo when I noticed the ibis feeding in the shallows. Conservation@althorp.com."
His followers clearly loved the image as they rushed to 'like' it, with one commenting: "I lost count of how many birds species are at Althorp Estate. What an amazing collection of beautiful creatures".
Adey recently shared a glorious view of some more birds enjoying the beautiful scenery at Oval Lake, close to where the late Princess was laid to rest. The longtime Althorp employee posted an image that showed ducks and geese swimming in the spring sunshine.
He captioned it: "Ducks and geese on the round oval lake @AlthorpHouse. I saw the first goslings today that have hatched off in the park, they were being led down to the lake by both attentive parent birds."
Adey shared the sweet glimpse on social media
All About Althorp
The estate is a grade 1 listed stately home located five miles north west of Northampton, between the villages of Great Brington and Harlestone.
It's been in the Spencer family for over 500 years and is set on 13,000 acres in Northamptonshire, 550 of which are the house and gardens.
Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's only brother, who recently released a poignant memoir detailing his difficult experience at boarding school, took on the role of custodian when he became the 9th Earl Spencer after his father John died in 1992.
He has been dedicatedly restoring the property and grounds ever since, and he and his wife Karen like to share updates from the historic house and grounds.
Last year, the Countess revealed that they had uncovered the footings for an old boat house underneath the mesmerising water.
Diana's Althorp 'dream'
As her brother explained in an interview years later, Princess Diana originally wanted to move back to the property after her divorce from King Charles (then Prince Charles).
"Diana had a lovely dream that she could live a normal life afterward," he said. "But the one house that she set her heart on in the park [at the family home of Althorp] was three bedrooms and 100 yards from the road. And it was just not possible.
"The police knew it wouldn’t work. I offered every other property that was suitable on the estate. I really felt it was the right decision for her. But she probably couldn't see it."
The late royal originally moved to the estate when she was 14 and her younger brother was 11, before moving to her own flat in London and then getting engaged to the future King.
Diana's other homes
Later, Diana shared Highgrove House near Gloucestershire, and an apartment in Kensington Palace with Charles and their two children. She remained at the Palace following the divorce.