Shame of Diana's neglected island grave 

Former royal chef Darren Mcgrady raised the issues of neglect of Diana's grave [REX]

Darren McGrady, a favourite of Diana who has also cooked for the Queen, has posted several pictures of the island with strongly worded comments.

On August 14 one tweet, accompanied by a picture, read: ‘‘Sad to see Earl Spencer@AlthorpEstate has neglected Diana’s resting place.”

On August 13 he implored in a tweet: ‘‘PLEASE tidy up the vegetation on the island @AlthorpEstate.”

The pictures on his twitter page show that the pond around the island has a lot of algae, making it look quite dark.

A closer look at the memorial standing on the edge of the island shows that moss has formed in some areas on the stonework and a brick base can now be seen because vegetation has been cut away.

The exact spot on the island where Diana rests is kept secret for security reasons. Visitors pay £18 to enter the estate and for many the highlight is seeing the island and laying a flower at a temple constructed especially for Diana on the lakeside, which is well maintained.

Earl Spencer, 50, declined to comment yesterday but a spokesman for Althorp said: “Algae is an unsightly problem for many lakes in the summer months.

@AlthorpEstate has neglected Princess Dianas resting place #ProveYouDidntWantHerForTheMoney pic.twitter.com/X28bVa20tb

— The Royal Chef (@DarrenMcGrady) August 14, 2014

PLEASE tidy up the vegetation on the island @AlthorpEstate Prove you wanted #PrincessDiana there through love and not just to make money.

— The Royal Chef (@DarrenMcGrady) August 13, 2014

Althorp employs contractors to deal with what is a highly invasive and fast growing weed on a regular basis and the Althorp gardeners also tackle it as part of their summer programme

“Althorp employs contractors to deal with what is a highly invasive and fast growing weed on a regular basis and the Althorp gardeners also tackle it as part of their summer programme.

“The exceptional temperatures of this summer have made the task of keeping it entirely under control extremely difficult.”

Mr McGrady chose not to comment on his tweets after we contacted his agent in the US, where he enjoys some celebrity status and calls himself the Royal Chef. He lives in Dallas, Texas, where he is known for his high end cooking and TV appearances discussing favourite Royal recipes, all spiced up with a few harmless Palace anecdotes.

In an interview with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey he revealed that if Diana was on her own at Kensington Palace she would come down to the kitchen to eat. They chatted casually as he made up meals to put on a tray.

He spent 11 years working at Buckingham Palace for the Queen but left to join Princess Diana after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996.

Diana's final resting place on an island in the Althorp estate [TIM GRAHAM/ MARK KEHOE]

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Unlike Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, who has made a fortune from spilling ­his Royal secrets, Mr ­McGrady has rarely courted controversy. He often writes blogs about the Royals and their trips around the world, revealing the recipes he has used in the past to impress them and suggesting places where they might eat.

His book, Eating Royally, has gone down well with gourmets across the Atlantic.

The personal attack from someone who was liked by the Princess comes at a sensitive time for 50-year-old Earl Spencer as the 17th anniversary of Diana’s death in Paris falls on August 31.

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