Charles Spencer on Whether He Told Sister Princess Diana About His Boarding School Abuse (Exclusive)

Charles Spencer never told his sister Princess Diana about the abuse he suffered at boarding school.

The historian and younger brother of the late Princess of Wales reflects on his harrowing experience at Maidwell Hall in his new memoir, A very private school, featured exclusively by PEOPLE in this week’s issue. Although Spencer was extremely close to Diana as a child, she tells PEOPLE that neither she nor his other sisters knew what he went through starting at age 8.

“I don’t remember us ever talking about what we were going through. She went to a very tender place, I believe,” says 9th Earl Spencer of Diana’s years at boarding school. “We would get together again in the school holidays, and I don’t remember ever talking about it with her.”

When Spencer, 59, finally told his older sisters, Sarah and Jane, 18 months ago, “they were stunned and horrified”.

Charles Spencer with his sister Diana (seated) and nanny Mary Clarke as he left for Maidwell Hall in 1972.

©Earl Spencer

Charles Spencer reveals childhood trauma in heartbreaking story of boarding school experience (Exclusive)

In a heartbreaking new memoir, published Tuesday, Spencer confronts the childhood trauma of his harrowing five years at an elite institution in the English countryside that left its young students vulnerable to predatory adults.

It was a difficult book to write, which plunged Spencer – who reveals for the first time that he was a victim of physical, verbal and sexual abuse at school – into a painful past.

“I always felt that I had dealt with this chapter of my life and put it to bed,” says the father of seven, who has been married to his wife Karen since 2011. “But talking to my classmates and hearing their experiences was it really moved me. I would be very affected by the horror of what they shared. And that was the hardest part.”

Charles Spencer in his Maidwell “Sunday best” suit in 1972.

©Earl Spencer

Charles Spencer shared a rare childhood photo with his sister Princess Diana and their mom

At the lowest points in his childhood, Spencer reveals in the memoir, he contemplated self-harm.

“I really regularly thought about killing myself with my father’s shotgun at the end of term,” he says. “No kid should have to think about that, at the end of a holiday, at the end of a vacation. I would really seriously think about it just to prevent myself from having to go back to that place.”

Charles Spencer in 2021 at his ancestral home, Althorp (left). Right: His new memoir, ‘A Very Private School’.

Ian Greeland; Simon and Schuster

Today, he worries that in sharing his story, some will judge his honesty as a plea for pity for those born into enormous wealth and privilege.

“My biggest fear is that people might think, ‘Poor little rich boys. What do they have to complain about?’ It’s not about wealth. It is about the vulnerability of children in any social class. My biggest hope is that it really helps people,” Spencer 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 free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education