Earl Charles Spencer has issued an update on the Spencer family estate, Althorp, after a farmhouse on the property was burnt down last week.
The 61-year-old earl, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, shared positive news about the estate’s stunning wildlife after the horror blaze.
Taking to social media on Wednesday, Charles said he was “stunned” as he shared images of the farmhouse ablaze, followed by the brunt out ruins left in the aftermath.
However, royal watchers were treated to more cheery scenes from Althorp as the earl celebrated a “magnificent” stag that made its home on the grounds.
Charles Spencer shared distressing images of the fire last week
X: Charles Spencer
“Perhaps the most handsome beast in the Park at @AlthorpHouse at the moment. Just magnificent,” he wrote on X, evidently in awe.
Charles was responding to a post from the estate’s conservation manager, who wrote: “Large chital buck standing his ground this evening @AlthorpHouse I think it will be prudent for me to walk around him, he's certainly not moving!”
The conservationist shared a picture of the majestic creature standing proud in the middle of a green plain flanked by a verdant forest.
It came in stark contrast to the images of orange flames licking one of the ancient’s grounds building and the ruins left behind – which Charles said had “apparently” been deliberately targeted.
Perhaps the most handsome beast in the Park at @AlthorpHouse at the moment. Just magnificent…. https://t.co/LitI0HIStV
— Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) May 30, 2025
"Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse’s farmhouses - fortunately, unoccupied at the time - was apparently burnt down by vandals last night," he wrote on X.
"With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do," the earl added.
Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue also shared an update over X, sharing details of the blaze and that a fire crew remained on the scene.
"The Service remains on scene after a fire on Mill Lane in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. We were called at around 1:30am this morning (May 28) & crews arrived to find an unoccupied two-story property fully on fire," they wrote.
The earl also said he was 'stunned' by the horror blaze and added it was 'apparently burnt down by vandals'
X: Charles Spencer
"At the height of the fire, 4 crews from across the Service wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze & prevent it from spreading.
"This morning, 1 crew remains on the scene with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots," the service concluded.
The farmhouse that had been destroyed was located on the Spencer family’s sprawling 13,000-acre estate.
Althorp has been home to the family for more than 500 years and has been owned Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer since 1992.
Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue also shared an image of the burnt out remains of the blaze
X: Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue
It was also home to the late Princess Diana, from the time of her parents' divorce until her marriage to the-then Prince Charles.
Her grave can also be found on the grounds of the estate, on an island in the middle of a lake.
The recent fire is not the first tragedy to strike Althorp, with floods “ripping through” the estate last November leaving a 400-year-old wall damaged.
Taking to Instagram at the time, the earl wrote: “This gives an idea of the force of water that ripped through the landscape around Althorp House during the weekend floods: this 400-year-old wall stood in the way of a brand-new river of run-off water, and it was unable to withstand the pressure.
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The Althorp estate has been home to the Spencer family for more than 500 years
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He praised the team at Althorp for their "amazing" clean-up efforts and "working round the clock to help those whose homes have been flooded, clearing roads, and minimising the impact of this shocking time."
He added: "I couldn't be prouder of their dedication and determination."
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