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Spencer believes that his sister suffers from the press more than Princess Kate in terms of the focus on her life
Earl Spencer, the late Princess Diana’s brother, told the BBC that the media focus on his sister was “more dangerous” than the current Princess of Wales.
“But he expressed concern about what happened to the truth,” amid conspiracy theories about Catherine, in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg scheduled to air Sunday.
He also told Laura about the violence he and his sister experienced in their home when they were young. He said that when he was a child, he and his sister Diana were punished by their nanny in “painful” ways.
Princess Diana’s brother has finished writing a book called A Very Special School, about the horrific levels of violence and sexual abuse he suffered as a young boy and was sent to boarding school at the age of eight.
Earl Spencer, one of the UK’s most prominent aristocrats, said that “devastating violence against children” affects them, whatever family they are born into.
Princess Diana’s brother is known for his criticism of the press after her death in 1997, when he gave a controversial speech at her funeral in which he pledged to protect her sons, William and Harry, from the intrusion to which their mother was subjected.
Earl Spencer does not particularly like to talk about the pressures his two nephews are exposed to and the dispute between them. But after weeks of online speculation about the Princess of Wales’s current health, I asked him if he thought the pressures they were currently under were stronger than they had ever experienced before.
He told me the situation was more dangerous for Diana, saying: “I think it was more dangerous then.”
Diana died as a result of her car crashing inside an underground tunnel in Paris while she was being pursued by photographers.
He added: “I think if you go back to 1997 and Diana’s death, I think what happened was so shocking – the circumstances of her death were so shocking that it made the industry, which supports photographers who seek to take pictures without permission, think carefully about what it could and could not do.” doing it”.
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Princess Diana died while being pursued by paparazzi
He continued: “Not because of moral motives, but because it was unacceptable to the public.”
After weeks of conspiracy theories about his nephew’s wife, Katherine, Spencer added: “I’m concerned about what happened to the truth.”
Diana’s younger brother also told me in detail about the beatings and grooming he says he endured as a child at the hands of staff at Medwell School.
In his book, Spencer alleged that a female school employee groomed and abused him and other young boys in their bedrooms, and that the school’s then-principal, John Burch, “beat them brutally.”
The Medwell School said in a statement issued in this regard: “It is sad to read about the experiences that Charles Spencer and some of his fellow graduates of the school went through, and we regret the experiences they went through.”
The statement added: “It is difficult to read about practices that were sometimes, unfortunately, thought to be normal and acceptable at the time. Within the educational process today, every aspect of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s. Protecting children and promoting their well-being is at the heart of this the changes”.
During our interview with him, Spencer also revealed that he and his sisters were subjected to violent punishment at home when they were young children.
He said that one of the nannies who cared for him and his sister Diana, whom he called “Nanny Forrester” in his book, “would bump our heads together when we did something inappropriate. It was obviously happening without my father’s knowledge, but it was really painful.”
“It wasn’t a tap on the wrist, it was a slam,” he said. “Can you imagine I still remember it?”
Spencer also tells Laura that he doesn’t blame his parents who “did their best, like 98% of parents do.” But he said his treatment highlighted the “separation” between parents and children in some aristocratic families.
He told the BBC that another nanny, who was taking care of his older sisters, except Diana, used laxatives to punish them.
He pointed out that “another nanny was punishing them by giving them large amounts of laxatives to the point that my parents did not discover the reason for their constant illness.”
There is no doubt that the levels of abuse and violence that Spencer suffered at school were horrific.
Hearing his testimony in person was convincing, especially when he discovered that he and his sisters were sometimes subjected to harm at home by people who were responsible for their care.
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An edited photo of Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has sparked controversy recently
It was also inappropriate to hear about his brutal experiences in the luxurious area where he lived in one of the most exclusive addresses in London; It is Spencer House, an estate built for his aristocratic ancestors in the 18th century, dotted with sparkling candelabra, priceless artwork and gilded walls.
It does not seem at all like Spencer is seeking sympathy. But it is likely that he seeks to tell his story for himself, perhaps as a way to address what he personally suffered as a result of this suffering, and perhaps also on behalf of others who have experienced the same mistreatment.
He also clearly realizes that other children from different classes suffered in silence like he did during that period.
However, speaking to Spenser reveals the intense pressure he is under to keep terrible secrets in the name of what is known among the English aristocracy as “restraint.” Expectations that this tradition would be passed on across generations were almost certain, even if that meant more children suffering or even being exposed to danger.
Privilege may be no protection from violence or abuse, nor, as the world witnessed during his sister’s turbulent life, any guarantee of happiness.
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