Revealed: Where Prince Harry stayed during surprise UK trip

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to the UK for his late uncle’s memorial service; now it’s been revealed where he stayed. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex stayed at the family home of Diana, Princess of Wales, last week on a visit that coincided with the anniversary of her death, it has emerged.
The duke, 39, was invited to stay with his uncle, Earl Spencer, at Althorp, the ancestral seat in Northamptonshire, where the late princess is buried.
He made an unannounced return to the UK to attend the funeral of his uncle, Lord Fellowes, in Norfolk on Thursday.
The private service at St Mary’s church in Snettisham, brought the duke and the Prince of Wales under the same roof for the first time since the Coronation last May, but the brothers are not thought to have spoken.
One member of the congregation told People magazine: “Most people were astounded that Harry came. He was in remarkably good form – and you could tell he was very pleased to see everybody. And he was very pleased that he had come over.”
Lord Fellowes, 82, a former private secretary to Elizabeth II, died on July 29. His widow, Lady Jane Fellowes, was Diana’s sister.
The funeral took place two days before the 27th anniversary of Diana’s death, on August 31.
The duke’s aides initially insisted he would not be travelling from the US for his uncle’s funeral, citing the “many challenges” involved, not least security.
He eventually did make the clandestine trip and was invited to stay with the Earl, according to People.
When the duke last visited the UK in May, he turned down an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace, claiming his security could not be guaranteed and instead stayed in a hotel.
Princess Diana, who was 36 when she died following a car crash in Paris, is buried on an island in the middle of Round Oval Lake on the Althorp estate.
In 2017, Prince William and the duke attended a private service at the site to rededicate their mother’s grave on what would have been her 56th birthday.
In 2022, the duke took his wife, Meghan, there, describing the moment in his memoir, Spare.
“No visit to this place was ever easy, but this one… twenty-fifth anniversary. And Meg’s first time,” he said. “At long last, I was bringing the girl of my dreams home to meet mum.”
“We hesitated, hugging, and then I went first. I placed flowers on the grave. Meg gave me a moment, and I spoke to my mother in my head, told her I missed her, asked her for guidance and clarity,” he wrote. “Feeling that Meg might also want a moment, I went around the hedge, scanned the pond. When I came back, Meg was kneeling, eyes shut, palms against the stone.”
The duke has remained close to all three of his mother’s siblings – Earl Spencer, Lady Jane and Lady Sarah McCorquodale – all of whom have publicly supported him in recent years, amid ongoing tensions with members of the Royal family.
In July 2021, they joined him and William for the unveiling of a statue of their late mother at Kensington Palace.
Last June, the Earl became the first member of his family to publicly voice support for the duke in his legal battle against the tabloid press and both he and Lady Jane supported him at a service marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in May.