Latest news with #AVeryPrivateSchool
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's brother shares heartbreaking grief, says her death felt like 'an amputation'
Earl Charles Spencer lost a part of himself when his sister, Princess Diana, was killed nearly three decades ago. On May 15, he appeared on "Loose Men" in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week, where he discussed sibling grief. "It's such an amputation," said the 60-year-old. "You grow up with these people, they are your flesh and blood, they're with you forever, and then they're gone." Princess Diana's Brother, Charles Spencer, Reveals Devastating Family Secret "It's a really extraordinary thing," the historian reflected. Diana died in 1997 from injuries she sustained in a car crash in Paris. She was 36. At the time, the mother of two was being chased by paparazzi. Read On The Fox News App Spencer noted that grief never goes away. "For years after Diana died, I would think, 'I must ring her and tell her something,' because we shared the same sense of humor," he recalled. "And you just realize, of course, that's not going to happen." The author described how his big sister played a key role in his childhood. "As your family naturally folds in on itself — you lose your parents — I have two older sisters who I adore," Spencer explained. "They're quite a lot older than me, so I don't share my childhood with anyone anymore. And that's a great loss you can never really put right." Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter The world, along with Spencer, watched Diana grow from a shy teenage nursery schoolteacher into a glamorous celebrity who comforted AIDS patients. She instantly became a household name when she married the future King Charles III in 1981, when she was 20 years old. They welcomed two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, before the couple announced their separation in 1992. Their divorce was finalized in 1996. Spencer said that even as a teenager, he felt an urgency to protect his sister from "the photographers who were plaguing her." "I remember just before she died, a female journalist wrote a really horrendous article, because by that stage I don't think that journalist was thinking of Diana as a person," said Spencer. "She was something to make money out of or whatever." "I wrote her an outraged letter and had a bit of to and fro with her," he said. "I think, particularly as a brother of a sister, you always want to get stuck in, really." It was during Diana's funeral that Spencer denounced the ruthless U.K. press that hounded his beloved sibling in her lifetime. Spencer was 42 years old when he first revealed to a therapist he had been sexually abused as a child. At the time, he had "hit rock bottom." Seventeen years later, he detailed the trauma he endured in a memoir, "A Very Private School." Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News He never told Diana about his experience at Maidwell Hall, an elite English boarding school. But as he struggled with loneliness away from his family, he often thought of his sister. "She was the closest person to me growing up," he told Fox News Digital in 2024. "We had two much older sisters and a baby brother who had died. Then there was Diana and me. We were very close. And, actually, that was one of the devastations of being sent away. She was sent a year ahead of me, but for the first few years of my life, we went everywhere together." WATCH: PRINCESS DIANA'S HAIRDRESSER RECALLS THEIR LASTING FRIENDSHIP "We did everything together," he shared. "We went to a very gentle primary school together, a day school, [before boarding school]. She was an absolutely lovely older sister to a little boy whose parents were divorced and had quite a traditional English upbringing. We were allies." At the time, a spokesperson for Maidwell Hall didn't immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. It previously told "Today" that it has notified authorities who investigate crimes against children. School officials are also encouraging any past students with similar experiences to come forward. Today, Spencer hopes the school will now deal with its past "in an honest way." "I would tell [my younger self] it wasn't his fault," Spencer said. "As a child, you're always thinking it's your fault. I used to think I must have failed as a son to be sent away to such a place and not be part of the family. … But I would tell him, 'You're fine. You've come out on the other side.'"Original article source: Princess Diana's brother shares heartbreaking grief, says her death felt like 'an amputation'
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Princess Diana's brother makes heartbreaking admission about her death
Princess Diana's brother Earl Charles Spencer has made a heartbreaking admission about her death during a special episode of Loose Men Earl Charles Spencer has candidly opened up about the loss of his sister Princess Diana almost 30 years on. The Earl made his debut as a panellist on Loose Men today, as the panel were talking about their close bonds with their siblings. Explaining how it felt to lose a sibling, Earl Spencer said it's like an "amputation." He later revealed that for years after his sister's tragic death, he thought he had to "ring her to tell her something" – before realising he couldn't anymore. The 60-year old then went on to speak about his close relationship with his sister, describing how they both shared the same sense of humour. Opening up about the loss of a sibling, Charles began: "It's like an amputation. You grow up with these people, they're your flesh and blood, they're with you forever. "And then they're gone. You expect grandparents and parents to go first, but siblings, it really is an extraordinary pain." It's been almost thirty years since Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36. Her younger brother Earl Spencer was just 32 years old at the time, while their sister Sarah and Jane were 42 and 40 years old. Speaking about his relationship with his two sisters Sarah and Jane, Earl Charles explained: "They're quite a bit older than me, so I don't share my childhood with anyone anymore and that's a great loss that you can never really put right." During the segment, fellow hosts Craig Doyle, Dr Amir Khan and Made in Chelsea's Sam Thompson were speaking about their close relationships with their siblings. Sam in particular was talking about his close relationship with his sister, former Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson. Sam currently lives next door to his sister in a house that he used to share with his ex, Zara McDermott. Despite it being his debut on the panel, Earl Spencer is a regular guest on Loose Women, and has opened up about a range of hard hitting topics, including his harrowing experiences at boarding school. At eight years old, Charles was sent to boarding school where he says he suffered incredibly cruel abuse at the hands of his teachers. His experiences have been documented in his book 'A Very Private School'.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Book on alleged abuse 'worthwhile'
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. 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." If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line 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. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'The floodgates opened' on abuse - Earl Spencer Earl Spencer's school to close amid abuse inquiry Althorp
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Earl Spencer says writing book on alleged abuse was 'worthwhile'
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 school apologised at the time the book was released, and police said they were investigating the 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 his book, A Very Private School, he alleged both sexual and physical abuse by teachers 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." If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line 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 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 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 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 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. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
