Charles Spencer: Lady Diana's brother releases emotional memoir about his childhood

TW: mentions of sexual abuse

Charles Spencer is the late Lady Diana’s brother. He is the 9th Earl Spencer and often shares nostalgic memories of his life, from old photos of his parents to pictures of Lady Diana. Charles Spencer has also published several books.

Indeed, the 9th Earl Spencer has published 6 books, two of which are autobiographies about the Spencer Family. This week (March 12) Charles Spencer has published his 7th book. This one will be different from his more historical works, his latest book is a memoir and will focus on his childhood and the traumatic experience at his private school, Maidwell Hall Prep School.

Charles Spencer opens up about his traumatic childhood

Charles Spencer, who recently shared a childhood photo of himself and Lady Diana, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to discuss his new book and to talk about the trauma he experienced while at school. Indeed, the 9th Earl Spencer attended Maidwell Hall Prep school in Northamptonshire in the 1970s.

Charles Spencer revealed that his time at school was not the best as he claims he was molested by a female assistant matron, as reported by The Telegraph. The 59-year-old explained that the female assistant matron, who was in her late teens or early 20s would enter the boys' dormitories at night and would abuse him and other pupils.

Charles Spencer also revealed to Lorraine that this traumatic experience affected his relationship with women.

I think that’s logically the case. I have to have been affected. This isn’t all about me.

He added that he can 'survive' almost anything due to what he went through at school. Finally, he told Lorraine that ‘something small but important’ died during his five years at Maidwell Hall.

At the same time, something small but important in me died during those five years in that school.

More about Charles Spencer’s memoir

Speaking about his memoir, Charles Spencer told Lorraine that initially, he didn’t plan to publish it. He explained that he had been writing his memories from his school and stored them in a folder on his computer.

He continued that eventually he had ‘700 headings and themes of nightmarish things’ but he also had good memories, friends and a good education. However, he changed his mind when he met with a friend who was left completely devastated after experiencing the same thing

He told Lorraine, as quoted by The Telegraph:

Then I met a friend who had been there who had his life completely devastated. He was sexually assaulted very seriously many times.

The 9th Earl Spencer then revealed that his friend said that ‘someone has to write about this’. That’s the moment he decided he was going to publish his memoir after sitting on the fence about it.

As per Simon and Schuster’s website, Charles Spencer’s book A Very Private School a Memoir recounts his feelings of being sent away to boarding school from the age of 8 and the ‘culture of cruelty at the school’ he attended.

The memoir also contains Spencer’s own letters and diaries from that time and he recalls the ‘hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight’.

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Sources used:

The Telegraph: ‘Sexual abuse’ affected my relationships with women, says Earl Spencer’

Simon and Schuster