Althorp House: The Spencer Ancestral Spirits

Althorp House has been home to the Spencer family for over 500 years. It is now most famous as the childhood home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales, who is buried on an island in the Round Oval lake. But long before Diana, Althorp was known for its ghosts—generations of Spencers and their servants who never left.

The History

The Spencer Dynasty

The Spencers acquired Althorp in 1508 and have lived there continuously since. They became Earls Spencer in 1765. The family has produced courtiers, politicians, and one People’s Princess.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana Spencer grew up at Althorp. After her death in 1997, she was buried on the island in the ornamental lake, accessible only by boat. The island remains private.

The Hauntings

The Grey Lady

Althorp’s most famous ghost is the Grey Lady:

• Seen in the Long Library
• A woman in grey Tudor or Stuart dress
• She appears to be searching for something
• Possibly a former Spencer lady
• Her identity has never been confirmed

The Servant Girl

A young servant girl has been seen:

• In the service areas and back stairs
• Victorian or Edwardian dress
• She seems frightened or nervous
• May have died in an accident in the house

The Cavalier

A man in 17th-century dress walks the grounds:

• Royalist military dress
• He appears near the stables
• May be a Spencer who fought in the Civil War
• A purposeful, martial presence

The Nursery Spirits

The old nursery wing has activity:

• Sounds of children playing
• Objects moving
• The temperature drops unexpectedly
• Generations of Spencer children grew up here

The Library Presence

In the famous Long Library:

• Books have moved on their own
• Footsteps cross the room
• A feeling of being watched
• The Grey Lady appears here most often

Princess Diana

Since 1997, there have been claims of Diana-related phenomena:

• Lights on the island
• A female figure near the water
• Flowers appearing at the memorial
• Visitors report feeling her presence

The Spencer family maintains privacy around these reports.

Modern Activity

Althorp opens to visitors in summer:

• Staff have reported experiences over decades
• The Grey Lady is consistently seen
• Photographs show unexplained figures
• The atmosphere is peaceful but watchful

Visiting

Althorp House opens for a limited season each summer. The Diana exhibition traces her life and legacy. The island where she rests can be seen from the shore but is not accessible.

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Althorp House has been Spencer territory for five centuries. The Grey Lady, the servant girl, the Cavalier—all remain in this beautiful house. And on the island in the lake, the most famous Spencer of all rests in eternal peace.