Princess Diana’s younger brother, Earl Spencer, says he was sexually abused at boarding school in the 1970s by a female staff member, whom he describes as having been a ‘voracious paedophile’.
The BBC reports that the claim is made an extract from his memoir, A Very Private School, published in the Mail on Sunday.
Earl Spencer attended the school, Maidwell Hall, between the ages of eight and 13. He alleges that the abuse began when he was just 11 years old.
The Mail says Earl Spencer claims that the teacher, whom he had established either lives abroad or is dead, groomed and abused him and other young boys in their dormitory beds at night.
The school said the allegations had been referred to a ‘local authority designated officer’.
In a statement, Maidwell Hall said: ‘It is difficult to read about practices which were, sadly, sometimes believed to be normal and acceptable at that time.
‘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.’
The BBC reports that, after his time at Maidwell, Earl Spencer attended Eton College.
[Image: Edwardx, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64702021]