Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer reveals he was sexually abused at boarding school
File image of Princess Diana and her younger brother Charles Spencer
Earl Spencer, younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has revealed he was sexually abused during his time at the boarding school. Earl Spencer has opened up about the incident in his memoir and revealed he was targeted by a female member of the staff at Maidwell Hall, Northamptonshire where he studied in the 1970s.
Excerpts fromhis memoir were published in The Daily Mail where Spencer, 59, revealed that the abuse began when he was just 11 years old.
Reacting to the news, Maidwell Hall said it was "sobering" to learn of Earl Spencer's experiences. The school said allegations of sexual abuse had been referred to a "local authority designated officer".
Earl Spencer attended Maidwell Hall between the ages of eight and 13.
Earl Spencer's memoir A Very Private School
In the new book, he has alleged that a female staff member groomed and abused him and other young boys in their dormitory beds at night. He described her as a 'voracious paedophile.'
Earl Spencer said he had established that the employee now either lives abroad or is dead.
He also alleged the school's then headmaster, John Porch, inflicted "brutal beatings" and he believed the teacher gained "sexual pleasure from the violence".
Earl Spencer said reliving his time at Maidwell had been an "absolutely hellish experience".
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Soon after the excerpts of the memoir were made public, 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 is difficult to read about practices which were, sadly, sometimes believed to be normal and acceptable at that time. Within education today, almost every facet of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s. At the heart of the changes is the safeguarding of children, and promotion of their welfare.
"Although we have not directly received any claims from ex-pupils, considering what has been reported, the school has followed the statutory process and made a referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). We would encourage anyone with similar experiences to come forward and contact either Maidwell Hall, the LADO or the police," the statement further stated.
