The sale therefore rests on a narrative of privacy and memory as much as on the property's material attributes.
The sale of a Cape Town estate with a personal connection to Princess Diana has drawn attention less for its £6.75 million asking price than for the small thatched cottage within its grounds. According to a report by GB News, cited by the Times of India, the Tarrystone Estate in Upper Constantia is being offered for sale, and the one-bedroom cottage where Diana stayed after her separation and divorce from King Charles III has been retained much as it was during her visits.
Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, owned the property and reserved the cottage exclusively for his sister, according to the account. She used it on several occasions, finding privacy away from the attention that followed her in Britain. The estate, with views towards the surrounding mountains and the ocean, offered a quieter setting. The cottage itself is self-contained, with its own kitchen, bathroom and living area, giving her independence from the larger household. While parts of the accommodation have been renovated, her bedroom has reportedly been preserved in its original arrangement, leading to its description as a time capsule.
The estate also carries a connection to Diana's humanitarian work. During a visit to Cape Town in 1997, she met former South African president Nelson Mandela at Genadendal, his official residence in the city. Their 20-minute meeting focused on the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa, an issue Diana had supported through her charitable work. Mandela praised her for helping challenge the stigma surrounding people living with HIV/AIDS, recalling how her visits to hospital patients had helped change public perceptions. The meeting took place five months before her death in August 1997.
Spencer acquired the estate during a period of personal change, as his marriage to his first wife, Victoria Lockwood, was breaking down. The property provided a place away from the attention surrounding the Spencer family in Britain. He eventually decided to sell the property following Diana's death and move back to England. The current sale, handled by Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate, includes a four-bedroom country residence, several guest cottages, 10 bedrooms in total, two staff cottages, a tennis court, a private cinema, a Grecian-style swimming pool, two vineyards producing around 300 bottles of wine annually, and security arrangements including a guard house, CCTV, gated access and electric fencing.
Lynne Baker of the agency said the property's connection with the Spencer family and Diana contributed to its historical significance, pointing to its established place in Cape Town's heritage. The Times of India notes that it has not independently verified the property's ownership history, asking price, features, historical associations or details of Diana's visits, and that details are based on information attributed to the sources cited and may be subject to change. The sale therefore rests on a narrative of privacy and memory as much as on the property's material attributes.
