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Charles Spencer, sibling of Princess Diana, has opened up about experiencing physical and sexual mistreatment during his time at Maidwell Hall, a highly regarded boarding school in England.
Spencer, who is godson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, sat down exclusively with NBC News’ Cynthia McFadden for his first interview about his new memoir A Very Private School.
He will share additional information in an exclusive broadcast titled “Silence and Secrets: Charles Spencer’s Private School” airing on NBC News NOW on Thursday at 10:30pm ET.
Spencer does not disclose the identity of the female staff member who allegedly mistreated him during his time at the school. However, he mentioned in an interview with NBC that he had hired a private investigator to investigate her at one point.
He expressed his belief that she is still living. She appears to have vanished and has been married multiple times.
He stated, “I do not have a desire to encounter her in the future.”
When Cynthia McFadden from NBC News inquired if he wanted to confront her, he responded by saying “it’s overwhelming.”
“I have always envisioned confronting them for the physical abuse, but the sexual abuse is too overwhelming for me.”
Spencer, who joined the school when he was eight, was inflicted with beatings to the point of drawing blood and shares that he witnessed punishments including “cutting buttocks [of young children] several times with a cane and carrying on”.
Former students who were interviewed stated that they had been sexually assaulted more than once while attending the school, and others had tragically lost their siblings due to neglect. A terminally ill man even wrote in his living will that he did not want to see his parents, as he could not forgive them for what happened to him.
The Earl reflects on the lasting impact of being subjected to physical abuse from a “sadistic” headmaster who incorporated sexual undertones into their punishments. He describes the experience as having “demons” implanted into the depths of their souls.
At the young age of 11, Spencer was targeted and preyed upon by a female assistant matron who sexually abused him. This encounter had a profoundly traumatic impact on him, leading him to seek out a prostitute at just 12 years old while on vacation in Spain, in an attempt to continue the dynamic of grooming he had experienced.
How to watch:
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Source: independent.co.uk