A throwback childhood photo of siblings Charles and Diana Spencer that Charles shared on April 3, 2024.Photo:Charles Spencer/Instagram
Charles Spencer/Instagram
Charles Spenceris looking back at his school days with his sisterPrincess Dianaamid the release of his new memoir,A Very Private School.
On April 3, the 9th Earl Spencer shared a childhood photo with Diana dated to 1968. The shot showed the brother and sister matching in red uniforms, which Spencer said was taken on a milestone day in his education at age 4.
“My first day of school, in September 1968: my father took this photograph of me and my sister, Diana, just before he drove us to Silfield, a really lovely primary school in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. The headmistress was Miss Jean Lowe, a warm and thoughtful lady who loved her boys and girls,” Charles captioned the photo onInstagram. “I was there till 1972, when I headed off to the place I call - in my memoir -A Very Private School.”
He was referring to Maidwell Hall, the all-boys boarding school that Spencer, 59, attended from age 8 to 13. The historian confronts the childhood trauma he suffered there inA Very Private School, revealing for the first time that he was a victim of physical, verbal and sexual abuse at the school.
1Charles Spencer with his sister Diana (seated) and nanny Mary Clarke as he headed off for Maidwell Hall in 1972.©Earl Spencer
©Earl Spencer
Though the 9th Earl Spencer was exceedingly close with Diana in childhood, he says that neither she nor his other sisters knew what he suffered within Maidwell’s halls.
“I don’t remember us ever really discussing what we were going through. She went to a very gentle place, I believe,” he says of Diana’s boarding school years. “We would reconnect for the school holidays, and I don’t remember ever talking about it with her.”
When Spencer finally told older sisters, Sarah and Jane, 18 months ago, “they were stunned and appalled” — while Diana never knew.
Charles Spencer attends the UK premiere of “Dancing At The Vatican” on February 5, 2020 in London; Princess Diana in Argentina in 1995.Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty
Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty
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After putting pen to paper, Spencer worries that in sharing his story, some will judge his candor as a plea for pity from those born into tremendous wealth and privilege.
“My biggest fear is that people might think, ‘Poor little rich boys. What have they got to complain about?’ It’s not about the wealth. It’s about vulnerability as children in any social class. My biggest hope is that it genuinely will help people,” he tells PEOPLE.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
