Princess Diana's former school Riddlesworth Hall to close

Princess Diana attended the school from the age of nine and returned for a visit in 1989

A preparatory school attended by Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1970s is to close.

Riddlesworth Hall School, between Thetford and Diss in Norfolk, has been a school since 1946 but will shut its doors at the end of this week.

It said it had "been facing unprecedented financial challenges for several years" and was "no longer viable".

The private school said it was "extremely saddened" by the closure.

Riddlesworth Hall is on the site of a former stately home in Norfolk

Princess Diana attended the school from the age of nine to 12, leaving in 1973.

In 2015, Riddlesworth Hall joined the Confucius International Education Group, which runs international schools in China.

The school said its financial challenges were in part due to the pandemic and "current economic climate".

"Our priority now is to support our pupils and their families over the next few weeks to make sure that they are looked after during this unsettling period," it said.

The school was founded in 1946 and Princess Diana was its most notable pupil