Earl Spencer says writing book on alleged abuse was 'worthwhile'

BBC News

08-03-2025

Earl Spencer said the reaction from others who suffered abuse at school has made the difficulty of writing his book "worth it".The brother of Princess Diana alleged in his memoir that he suffered physical and sexual abuse at Maidwell Hall, Northamptonshire, in the 1970s.The school apologised at the time the book was released, and police said they were investigating the allegations.Earl Spencer said his time at the school was "intensely difficult to talk about publicly".
The 60-year-old, whose family home is Althorp, also in Northamptonshire, attended Maidwell Hall between the ages of eight and 13.In his book, A Very Private School, he alleged both sexual and physical abuse by teachers there.He has now said that since the book was published last year, he has been contacted by men who alleged similar abuse at that school and others.
'A completely new look on life'
Speaking to Bernie Keith on BBC Radio Northampton, he said he believed men especially can have a "problem with dealing with abuse"."You feel ashamed at being a victim, which logically is absurd, but there is a shame and a lot of [men] wrote to me and said they have never even told their wives," he said."A woman wrote to me and said she now understands her partner. He used to scream in the night, lash out in the night, had a problem with [alcohol]."Now they understand what he's been through and can work through it together."I'm not proud of that but it makes it all worthwhile."
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Earl Spencer described the process of writing the book as being "transformative"."It's given me a completely new look on my life tackling these secrets," he said.In a statement in March 2024, when the book was launched, Maidwell Hall said it was "sobering to read about the experiences Charles Spencer, and some of his fellow alumni, had at the school, and we are sorry that was their experience".It also announced earlier this year it is set to close in the summer.Northamptonshire Police said a woman, aged 67, arrested and released in June, remained on conditional bail while inquiries continued.
Earl Spencer will be speaking about the book at the Althorp Literary Festival, which he organises, next month.He said the the festival would return for the first time in several years because he wanted to "use Althorp for what it's really meant to be, which is a lovely place for guests to come".Those appearing at the festival will include Harlan Coben, Sir Tim Rice and Alison Steadman.Earl Spencer said he would also be hosting a live episode of his podcast with Rev Richard Coles and historian Cat Jarman at the festival – but admitted he "didn't even know what a podcast was" until he started the series.
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