Royals

Diana’s grave has suffered four attempted break-ins

Her brother, Earl Spencer, also defended the family's choice to bury her at the ancestral estate.
Diana's grave has suffered four attempted break-ins

July 1961 - August 1997

Trespassers have tried to rob Princess Diana’s grave on four separate occasions, her brother said in a shocking revelation yesterday.

Earl Charles Spencer divulged that the family had “seen them [the intruders] off” from the luxurious estate in Althorp, Northants.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, The 53-year-old said: “We’ve had four attempted break-ins towards her body in the last 20 years and I’m very glad we’ve seen all of them off.

“There are some odd people out there and keeping her right here is the safest place.”

WATCH: Earl Spencer’s powerful monologue at Diana’s funeral.

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Some believe the break-ins are people attempting to get photos inside the extravagant mausoleum that they can sell for a large sum.

“They would want to take photographs and sell them to European news organisations — the British press wouldn’t run them,” editor of Majesty Magazine, Ingrid Seward, said.

After her death in a Paris car crash aged 36, Diana was buried on an island at the gated estate of her ancestral home, now owned by Earl Spencer.

“Originally we were going to bury Diana in the family tombs nearby but it wasn’t to be,” Earl Spencer explained.

“Both because it was impractical and because it would mean the local village being overrun.”

The shocking revelations come just before never-before-seen footage of Diana – who died 20 years ago next month – is set to air on British television.

The footage, which was originally recorded by voice coach Peter Settelen at Kensington Palace in 1992 and 1993, contains a series of explosive revelations — among them, Princess Diana’s sex life with Prince Charles and his ongoing affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

The footage, which was unearthed back in 2001 following a police raid at former butler Paul Burrell’s residence, will comprise the focal point of the upcoming Channel 4 feature, Diana: In Her Own Words.

The decision to air the tapes will likely be widely criticised, as they were never intended for public broadcast — in fact, the tapes were shown once in America in 2004 but were considered so controversial they were never shown in Britain.

However, the broadcaster has decided to air the controversial offering as Princes William and Harry have begun to openly discuss their mother’s passing.

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