Althorp House, Princess Diana’s childhood estate and final resting place, was targeted in a suspected arson attack.
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Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, spoke out about the incident. “Luckily unoccupied at the time – but still deeply disturbing that one of our farmhouses was torched by vandals last night,” he stated in his Instagram Story on May 28.
He then thanked the Northamptonshire firefighters for trying to save the structure from the blaze.
Spencer also took to X (formerly Twitter) to share photos of the devastation.
Northamptonshire Police confirmed to PEOPLE that they are investigating a “suspected arson at a derelict farmhouse” on the Althorp Estate. “The first, which was reported in the early hours of [May 28], is believed to have been started deliberately,” the law enforcement’s statement reads. “However, the exact cause is yet to be determined.”
The officials then stated, “Due to the secluded location of the building, officers would like to hear from anyone who may have seen any activity near the farmhouse prior to the fire being discovered shortly before 1:30 a.m.”
Princess Diana grew up at Althorp Estate and was buried on the grounds of her childhood estate following her death in 1997. Her final resting place is on a small island known as Oval Lake Grave.
Althorp House has belonged to the Spencer family since the early 1500s.
Althorp Estate CEO Speaks Out About the Farmhouse Fire
In a statement to PEOPLE, Althorp Estate CEO David Horton-Fawkes spoke out about the incident.
“The house and farm building have been unoccupied for several years,” he confirmed. “And the site is scheduled for redevelopment as part of the Dallington Grange development.”
“The farmhouse was built in the late 18th Century, and it has been completely destroyed by the fire,” he revealed. “But the surrounding outbuildings are undamaged. Our priority is to secure the site and make sure it is safe.”
He then added, “As far as we know, no one was injured and we are grateful to Northampton Fire Brigade and the estate team for dealing with the fire so effectively. We don’t know how the fire started.”