Since her tragic de.ath in 1997, admirers of Diana, Princess of Wales, have been unable to visit her actual gravesite — a decision made by her brother, Charles Spencer, to protect her memory and privacy.

Diana was just 36 when she died from injuries sustained in a high-speed car crash in Paris’s Pont de l’Alma tunnel. She was a passenger in a Mercedes-Benz S280 driven by Henri Paul, alongside her companion, Egyptian film producer Dodi Fayed.

Her funeral at Westminster Abbey drew a crowd of 2,000 in person, while more than 32 million viewers in the UK watched the service on television. Six days after her passing, Earl Spencer announced that his sister would be buried at Althorp Park, the Spencer family’s ancestral estate in West Northamptonshire, rather than in the local church’s family tombs.

A Private and Protected Resting Place

Speaking to the BBC in 2017, Earl Spencer explained that burying Diana at Althorp felt “natural” and was meant to keep her safe during a time of intense public emotion. He also wanted her sons, William and Harry, to have the ability to visit her privately, away from the public eye.