Amid Kate Middleton Speculation, New Book from Princess Diana’s Brother Hits the Charts
'A Very Private School' offers a sobering account of the abuse that Charles Spencer says he suffered while attending boarding school as a child
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Lord Charles Spencer (R) signs copies of his book "Killers of the King : The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I" at the British American Business Council Los Angeles Distinguished Speaker Series special book signing event on March 3, 2015 Amanda Edwards/WireImage
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Kate Middleton’s whereabouts have been dominating headlines in recent weeks, but a member of the Royal Family adjacent is also making news for his new tell-all book.
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and the late Princess Diana‘s brother, released his memoir last week and it quickly made its way onto Amazon’s bestsellers list. Titled A Very Private School, the book offers a sobering account of the cruelty and abuse that Spencer says he suffered while attending boarding school in the UK as a child. Drawing from his own recollections, as well as new conversations with friends and former classmates, Spencer’s book finds the Earl diving into the UK’s antiquated boarding system while offering solace for those who have suffered from the same unwanted experiences.
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$14.49 $28.99 50% off
Published by Gallery Books, the 304-page memoir is available now on hardcover and as an audiobook narrated by Spencer himself (Amazon is currently offering a free trial to Audible that lets you listen to A Very Private School on audiobook for free). You can also download the book on Kindle here.
In the memoir, Spencer reveals that he was sent away to Maidwell Hall in Northhampton at the age of eight, writing that he soon experienced both verbal abuse and “brutal beatings” at the hand of school officials. He also writes openly about being groomed by a female staff member, which led to alleged sexual abuse. While he notes that others were aware of the abuse, Spencer says students were scared into silence, with the biggest rule at the school being, “Don’t tell tales.”
But after years of treatment for trauma, Spencer says he was finally ready to speak his truth. “The culmination of all this hurt and damage persuaded me to write this book,” he offers in the accompanying book notes. “[It’s] my record of what it was like for us, as boys, to live in a beautiful place, under a dark power.”
Gallery Books calls A Very Private School a “clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth,” adding that the Earl captures, “the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences,” the publisher writes, “Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.”
In a new interview with the BBC, Spencer reveals that writing the book led to him suffering a breakdown, though he was resolute on finishing the memoir to encourage abuse victims to speak out. Maidwell Hall, meantime, released a statement this week apologizing to Spencer, adding that “It is difficult to read about practices which were, sadly, sometimes believed to be normal and acceptable at that time.” The institution added that, “Within education today, almost every facet of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s.”
This is the eighth book by Spencer, who also works as a journalist and television host. Spencer’s previous books were all non-fiction bestsellers, while 2007’s Blenheim: Battle for Europe, was shortlisted for History Book of the Year at the UK National Book Awards.
Amazon
$14.95
Of course, Spencer’s memoir is hitting shelves at the height of new interest in the Royal Family, though the timing is purely coincidental (the book was always scheduled for release on March 12). Still, the Earl has weighed in on speculation over Kate Middleton’s whereabouts, telling the BBC that, “I do worry about what happened to the truth.” Spencer adds that the recent media frenzy over the current Princess of Wales has brought back memories of his late sister, though he says, “I think it was more dangerous back in the day [for Diana].”
Princess Diana died in August 1997, after the car she was a passenger in crashed as it entered a tunnel in Paris, while Diana was being pursued by photographers.
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