Published: 23:31 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 23:34 BST, 22 August 2026
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not move to the 13,000-acre estate where Harry's mother Princess Diana grew up, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
This newspaper has learned that Earl Spencer, Harry's uncle, was prepared to offer a house to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Althorp, the estate in Northamptonshire that has been the Spencer family home for over 500 years.
The Sussexes, however, did not make such a request during a weekend stay with their children there last month. Instead, they are understood to have pinpointed a property in the Cotswolds as their UK home when they return here in the coming days.
Harry remained close to Charles Spencer after his and Meghan's dramatic decision in 2020 to quit as senior royals and forge a new life across the Atlantic.
The Duke has visited Althorp, Diana's childhood home and where she is buried, a number of times in recent years, including what has been described as a 'blissful' few days spent with his wife and their two children last month.
In family photographs shared by the Duchess on Instagram, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and Prince Harry can be seen walking down a tree-lined avenue on the estate.
In one picture, the Duke and his seven-year-old son can be seen carrying bouquets, which are thought to have been laid at Diana's grave. In another photo, Harry playfully launches his daughter through the air at a pool on the estate, while Meghan swims in the background.
The photographs fuelled speculation that the family could move to a property on the estate. In an article published last week, royal biographer and former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown wrote: 'It is widely thought that Charles Spencer will offer up a house at Althorp, which sits on 13,000 acres in Northamptonshire.'
Earl Spencer and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at the unveiling of a statue of Princess Diana in 2021
Prince Harry with Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie at what is believed to be Althorp House
Meghan Markle shared unseen snaps with Harry and their children from a sun-soaked holiday to Europe
The front of Althorp house, seat of Earl Spencer and childhood home of Diana Princess of Wales
But a source close to the Earl last night denied the claim. 'If Harry had asked his uncle for a property at Althorp, he would have done all he could to find him somewhere suitable,' the source said. 'But he [Harry] has made his own plans.'
The MoS understands that Earl Spencer was unaware that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on the brink of moving to the UK.
