Thieves have stolen more than £40,000 worth of lead from a church linked to the late Princess Diana.
Police say they stole around 12 tonnes of lead from St Mary's Church in Brington, Northamptonshire, which covered more than 3,000 square foot in total.
Princess Diana's father, the 8th Earl Spencer, is buried at St Mary's, as well as the great-great-grandfater of the US President George Washington.
St Mary's Brington is near the royal ancestral seat of Althorp, which is currently owned by Princess Diana's brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer.
Revd Sue Kipling, rector of St Mary's Brington, told the BBC: "It's a huge loss to us. It will cost more than £40,000 to replace.
"You can now see the sunlight coming into the church through the roof, although the Althorp estate has provided tarpaulin to protect the inside of the building in the short term."
Mrs Kipling also said a church service was held in response to the theft, where the thieves were specifically prayed for.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Aaron James
Tola Mbakwe is a multimedia journalist for Premier.