Who Will Inherit Princess Diana's Childhood Home? Not Prince William, Harry

Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Harry, inherited many of her belongings and financial assets after her death in 1997. But her childhood home, the Althorp estate, will not pass to either of them.

Instead, the sprawling 13,000-acre estate in Northamptonshire, which has been in the Spencer family since 1508, will go to Diana's nephew, Louis, Viscount Althorp, the son of her brother Charles Spencer, the current Earl Spencer.

Though Princess Diana is buried on the Althorp estate, the property follows the rules of primogeniture, an age-old system in which the eldest male inherits family titles and land, regardless of birth order.

Louis has three older sisters, Lady Kitty, Lady Eliza, and Lady Amelia, but tradition dictates the estate will pass to him.

Charles Spencer addressed this earlier, saying, "If I chose Kitty, it would be against all the tradition that goes with Althorp. It's just the way it is. I get the problems with it as a concept. I also get the strengths of it having worked to date."

Lady Kitty told Tatler magazine, "I'm totally pro-gender equality. But I'm quite happy that that's [going to be] my brother's responsibility. I just think it's the correct way."

"I like that the house stays within the same family, with the same surname. I wouldn't want it any other way for the Spencers. And I just know my brother is going to do an impeccable job."

Princess Diana is buried on a small island in the middle of the Oval Lake at Althorp. The burial site is closed to the public, a decision Charles said was intentional, both for security and peace.

When Princess Diana died, her estate was left primarily to her sons. It was split equally between the two. The funds were placed in trusts and invested, allowing each son to inherit roughly 10 million pounds by the time they reached their 30s.

Prince William and Harry were also given personal items belonging to their mother. These included iconic keepsakes such as her wedding dress, a silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot train, as well as dozens of dresses, designer outfits, and two diamond tiaras. The brothers were each allowed to choose a specific item from Diana's jewellery collection: William chose her Cartier watch, while Harry initially chose her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

Years later, Harry reportedly gave the ring to William, who used it to propose to Kate Middleton.

The brothers also inherited sentimental items. Among them were handwritten letters, photographs, and the original lyrics and score to 'Candle in the Wind,' Elton John's tribute song performed at Diana's funeral.

Prince Harry later revealed that the inheritance he received from Diana helped him and his wife, Meghan Markle, move to California in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties. "I brought what my mom left me," he told Oprah Winfrey in their 2021 interview. "And without that, we would not have been able to do this... I think she saw it coming. I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process."