Princess Diana‘s death in August 1997 rocked the royal family and the world to its core. Although she was no longer a frontline royal, Diana was given a heartfelt sendoff by the House of Windsor. But before being laid to rest, one heartbreaking item was placed in her casket ahead of her burial.
Princess Diana held a keepsake item before she was laid to rest
The Princess of Wales died after injuries sustained in a car accident in Paris, France, in August 1997. Princess Diana was a passenger in a car driven by Henri Paul and accompanied by bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones and her friend, Dodi al-Fayed. Jones was the only survivor of the collision.
Then-Prince Charles flew to France with Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, to retrieve her body. The Princess of Wales was flown on a royal plane back to London.
According to Prince Harry in his book Spare, Princess Diana’s body lay in state at Kensington Palace at her apartment. But before a planned royal ceremonial funeral, an item was placed in her hands.
Harry wrote, “It was reported that Mummy’s hands were folded across her chest and between them was placed a photo of me and Willy. Possibly the only two men who ever truly loved her.”
He continued, “Certainly, the two who loved her most. For all eternity, we’d be smiling at her in the darkness, and maybe it was this image, as the flag came off and the coffin descended to the bottom of the hole, that finally broke me.”
Harry wrote that he “sobbed.” But also felt “ashamed” of “violating the family ethos.”
The Spencer family was buried at St. Mary the Virgin church in Great Brington for generations. However, a decision was made to lay Princess Diana to rest at her family home to give her sons the privacy to visit her grave peacefully without others around.
Diana’s younger brother Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer, wished to have his sister interred on the family’s estate. Diana’s body would be safe there, he believed.
“I think it’s very important for them [William and Harry] to be there with her,” Charles told People Magazine. “It is, luckily, very tranquil here and they can come and go as they wish whenever they want. And that’s very lovely for me to know that.”
Diana’s grave is on a small island in the middle of the property’s Oval Lake. A bridge was constructed from the land to the island for Diana’s internment, but it has since been removed.
Access to the grave is only by boat. The public is not allowed to visit the gravesite. However, they can visit a monument dedicated to the late Princess of Wales on the property surrounding her final resting place.
What does Princess Diana’s gravesite look like?
Although there are no formal photographs of Princess Diana’s grave, her brother, Charles Spencer, has shared photographs of Oval Lake on his Instagram page. The photos show a foggy morning at Althorp House, and a second slide shows the island with a marker at its center.
The island is surrounded by shrubbery, including Rhododendrons and forget-me-nots — Diana’s favorite flower. A tall monument is topped with an urn.
During summertime, Althorp House is open to the public. Visitors can pay their respects at a temple situated across from the lake. The temple has Diana’s name inscribed on the top and a black silhouette of her in the middle.
Althorp has been home to the Spencer family for more than 500 years.
