Princess Diana: The Heartbreaking Walkway of Death Near Her Gravesite
Princess Diana‘s death united the world in a swath of grief unlike any other. The Princess of Wales was a beacon of light in what seemed like a family stuck way too far in the traditions of the past. Therefore, after Diana’s untimely death, it was decided her burial would be at a place where her remains could be kept safe. A memorial on her family property features a walkway that bears a heartbreaking significance of her death.
Princess Diana’s life was heartbreakingly memorialized with a walkway of death
Princess Diana is buried at Althorp House, the childhood home where she lived with her father, Earl Spencer, sisters Sarah and Jane, and brother Charles. The Spencers have owned the 13,000-acre Althorp estate for over 500 years. She called the estate her home before her marriage to Prince Charles.
The late Princess of Wales is buried in the center of Oval Lake, where her remains are protected from onlookers. Diana’s remains lie in the center of a tree-covered island in a small lake near the main house. However, visitors can only pay homage to the late princess from the water’s edge.
Thus, no one is allowed to set foot on the island without special permission, and Diana’s grave is unmarked. However, in order to reach the small lake, a path leads from Althorp to the area. It is lined by a row of 36 oak trees. Each commemorates a year of Diana’s life.
The Independent reports that there was once a walkway to the lake’s center but it was removed after Diana’s interment. The publication reports the trees surrounding her plot were planted by the Queen, the Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales, Princes William and Harry, Diana’s father, the former Earl Spencer, and her brother. Hundreds of white roses and water lilies, along with the trees, were added in her honor.
Why can’t visitors pay their respects at Princess Diana’s grave?
Princess Diana’s gravesite is only accessible via a small boat. After her death, Diana was subsequently laid to rest in the center of Oval Lake to deter outsiders access to her remains.
“It has been decided to bury Diana, Princess of Wales, in the grounds of Althorp Park. There, her grave can be properly looked after by her family and visited in privacy by her sons,” her brother, Charles, said as reported by People Magazine after her 1997 death.
“This ornamental lake was established in the mid-19th century when English winters were generally much colder than now. It was put in because my family had a thing for ice skating,” Diana’s brother Charles wrote on Instagram in October 2022, said of the picturesque area.
While visitors to Althorp cannot visit the grave, they can visit a memorial near it. This building is as moving as the grave itself.
A white-Grecian-style memorial honors the Princess of Wales’ death
A stunning monument site can be visited by those who travel to Althorp. At its top is Diana’s name and the year of her birth and death.
The building features four columns. At its center is a silhouette of the late princess flanked by two tablets. One displays a tribute Charles Spencer gave at Diana’s 1997 funeral. The other features a quote from Diana about her charitable work.
It reads, “Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life—a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are.”
Thus, the original plan was for Diana to be laid to rest at the nearby Great Brington church. Several Spencer family members, including Diana’s father, are buried here in the Spencer Family Vault. However, this plan was later abandoned, with the family concerned about the safety and security of her grave.
Princess Diana’s death took place on Aug. 31, 1997 in a car crash in Paris, France. She was 36.
