A Very Private School: A Memoir

A Very Private School: A Memoir

by Charles Spencer

4.4 (2,055)

4.4 stars from 2,055 reviews. Top 79% of Historical Fiction books we track.


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Last checked: Jun 8, 2026

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Tara Westover
  • Michelle Obama
  • Jeannette Walls

Fans of these books will like this...

  • Educated
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Perfect for you if...

  • You want a royal insider's perspective on institutional abuse without the tabloid sensationalism.
  • You attended boarding school yourself and recognise the lasting emotional wounds it can inflict.
  • You're interested in how privilege and tradition can mask systemic harm to children.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You're looking for a celebration of the boarding school experience or nostalgia for 'the old ways'.
  • You prefer uplifting memoirs with redemptive arcs rather than accounts of childhood trauma.
  • You want royal gossip and scandal rather than a serious examination of institutional culture.

About this book

Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer and younger brother of the late Princess Diana, recounts his experience of being sent to boarding school at age eight in this memoir. He provides a firsthand account of cruelty at the school he attended and examines the antiquated boarding system. Drawing on memories from schoolboy contemporaries, his own letters, and diaries from that period, Spencer reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he experienced at such a young age. He describes the intense pain of homesickness and its inescapable nature. The memoir explores the long-lasting impact of these experiences and offers a candid examination of his past and childhood. This edition includes a new afterword in which Spencer reflects on the response to his memoir's publication, including support and solidarity from fellow abuse survivors.

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Currently #346 in the Kindle store — a top-1,000 bestseller.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Jun '26Jun '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.4★ from 2,055 reviews

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Charles Spencer

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