UK ALTHORP HOUSE amp ESTATE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC 3

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(1 Jul 1998) Natural Sound • • Hundreds of Princess Diana's admirers passed through the gates of her ancestral home on Wednesday to view the mementos of her life. • • The Althorp estate in Northamptonshire has opened to the public -- on what would have been Diana's 37th birthday. • • Visitors were also able to see the lake island where the princess was buried nearly a year ago. • • They also toured a new museum built by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer. • • On the day that would have been her 37th birthday, visitors flocked to see Diana's schoolgirl's letters, the stunning silk dress of her royal marriage, and the celebrity princess' high-fashion outfits. • • All exhibits were in a new museum built by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer at the Althorp estate in rural Northamptonshire and open to paying visitors for the next two months. • • Earl Spencer mingled with the first visitors to the museum that is housed in a converted stable block. • • Like nearly everything associated with Diana, the opening of the family home has been controversial. • • The Daily Telegraph newspaper recently described the earl as a lost soul now tethering himself to the memory of his lost sister. • • One item on display in the imposing stable block is a first draft of Spencer's speech at Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997 in Westminster Abbey in London. • • He spoke bluntly about his sister's frustration as a royal wife and his fear that palace life would stifle the souls of her two sons. • • Displays in the museum also include personal effects from Diana's childhood, including her school uniform, candy box and school reports as well as family photographs and home movies. • • The collection of home videos shows Diana as a child dancing and playing in the gardens of Althorp. • • Daily visitors are limited to 2,500 people with pre-purchased tickets. • • Spencer has sold nearly 150-thousand tickets - called invitations to visit - at prices ranging from 5 pounds (8 U-S dollars) for children to 7.50 pounds (12 U-S dollars) for senior citizens and 9.50 pounds (15 U-S dollars) for adults. • • Earl Spencer says profits will go to charity. • • Visitor facilities at Althorp include a restaurant and a shop selling a range of souvenirs associated with Diana. • • But for many, the point of the visit was the ornamental lake and the island where Diana was buried in a private family ceremony after her death on August 31, 1997 in a Paris car crash. • • A walkway leads from the museum to the lake, where Diana's grave on the island is marked by a large urn carved in Portland stone. • • Visitors cannot visit the grave site but can view the island from the water's edge. • • There is a classical temple by the lake that is a memorial to the princess. • • Many people placed flowers and cards there - below a plaque paying tribute to Diana. • • Residents in the nearby village of Great Brington have expressed concern that the lure of Diana's grave would turn the area into an English version of Graceland, the home and grave of Elvis Presley. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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