UK: ALTHORP HOUSE & ESTATE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC (4) скачать в хорошем качестве

UK: ALTHORP HOUSE & ESTATE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC (4)

(1 Jul 1998) Eng/Jap/Nat Several thousand people queued for more than an hour on Wednesday to see the ancestral home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Althorp estate in Northamptonshire has opened to the public on what would have been Diana's 37th birthday. Visitors were 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 exhibiting Diana memorabilia. For many, the main point of the visit to Althorp 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. 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. Queues had started forming outside the gates of the Althorp estate in rural Northamptonshire over an hour before the scheduled opening time. There is a daily limit of 2,500 people, all with pre-purchased tickets. It was the first time the estate was opened to visitors and the grand occasion coincided with what would have been Diana's 37th birthday. Many people had arrived with bunches of flowers in a touching tribute to the woman who was widely regarded as one of Britain's most popular royals. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I've admired Diana since I was very young, since about 1981, when she was first married, and I've been collecting things on her and just thought the world of her and was devastated when she died." SUPER CAPTION: American Visitor, Vox Pop Most visitors spent at least three hours browsing through the grounds of the estate. Most of the Diana pilgrims, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Japan and France, were moved and delighted by their experience. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Quite eerie, it's very weird. We were just saying: we can't believe you're just walking through the house, and you actually go through the ground floor and it's just unbelievable - you go - you say oh she's been walking through here or sitting on the table or sitting on the sofa." SUPER CAPTION:Vox Pop SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) "When Princess Diana came to Japan, it made me very happy. I like Diana very much. Today is her birthday and I came from Japan especially for her birthday." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop SOUNDBITE: (English) "I thought I could have one. I thought if I came, I would find one ticket, but there are really no tickets. I thought also that there would be a black market but I didn't find it and now I am really disappointed." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop, French visitor Visitors were also able to view mementoes from Diana's life. These were displayed in a new museum built by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer. The three (m) million pound (five (m) million U-S dollars) museum is housed in a converted stable block. Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, who has been accused of trying to cash in on his sister's memory, spent much of the day mingling with visitors. 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 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...