“A Resting Place Beyond Reach”

Princess Diana’s brother has long protected the peace of his sister’s memory. In interviews, Earl Spencer has explained why he chose to bury her not in a royal crypt, but on this private island at Althorp Estate—a sanctuary of trees, water, and quiet devotion.

“I wanted her somewhere safe,” he once said, “a place where her boys could visit her in peace.”

For Prince William and Prince Harry, that meant the freedom to come and go unseen, to grieve privately without the flash of cameras or the pull of public eyes. “It’s very tranquil here,” Charles said. “And that’s very lovely for me to know.”

Princess Diana’s final resting place—at Oval Lake, surrounded by weeping willows—is not open to the public. Visitors instead pay their respects at a nearby memorial built in 1998, its path lined with quotes and photographs celebrating her compassion and courage.

The beloved Princess of Wales was killed in a devastating car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, alongside Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. She was 36 years old.

Now, every year, her brother’s quiet ritual keeps her memory alive—not through grand ceremonies or public speeches, but through 28 simple flowers laid in silence.

As Charles Spencer once said in his book Althorp: The Story of an English House:

“We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be.”

And there, amid the stillness of the water and the whispers of the wind, the people’s princess rests in eternal peace—forever remembered, forever loved.