Princess Diana's ancestral house opens to over-night guests

Princess Diana's childhood house has been turned into a bed-and-breakfast place. But a very expensive one. 

Weekend visits run $40,000 per couple sharing a bedroom, and $250,000 for a group of 18.

The move came by Earl Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana.

The 500-year-old, 90-room estate of Althorp is located in Northamptonshire, England and spans over 13,000 acres. It has been home to the Spencer family since the 1500s, and is also princess Diana’s burial place.

In an interview with NBC , Earl Spencer said he decided to open his ancestral home for overnight visits for the first time after his American wife, Countess Karen Spencer, came up with the idea as a way to raise funds for Whole Child International, the charity she founded in 2004.

Whole Child supports orphaned, abandoned, abused and neglected children in developing countries.

The 100,000-square-foot home has 88 fireplaces and a black and white room where little Diana used to tap-dance. Notable guests of the property have been Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev and “lots of kings and queens.” Guests will be able to share dinners with the earl and the countess and sleep in the grand bedrooms, including the King William bedroom where Diana slept when she visited.

The charity said donors who contribute £17,000 ($25,000) will spend the weekend in a 'beautifully appointed' en-suite room and join other donors for a weekend of 'entertainment and conversation' that includes a black-tie dinner on the Saturday night.

Those who give £25,000 ($40,000) will enjoy the same activities but stay in a 'premium' bedroom.

With a donation of £175,000 ($250,000), the Spencers will host a private weekend for a couple and up to 16 of their friends.