Earl Spencer recently celebrated the sweetest milestone with his wife Karen, and on Wednesday, his loyal spouse urged her followers to support her husband ahead of his latest venture.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Countess shared an image of Charles’ upcoming memoir, A Very Private School, along with a link to pre-order a copy.
Due to be released next March, the book covers the father-of-seven’s difficult experience of boarding school as well as exploring the British tradition of sending young children away to school.
A press release from publisher Gallery Books announced the book earlier this month and said that it offers “a clear-eyed firsthand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system”.
It went on to explain that the memoir draws on the author’s own and his schoolmates’ recollections as well as diaries from the time, saying that it sees Charles reflect on “the hopelessness and abandonment he felt when he was only eight years old, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all”.
At the weekend, Karen shared the most heartwarming message with her followers on the social media site, as she opened up about how she felt upon first reading her husband’s memoir.
Taking to Instagram, Karen shared a cover image of the book that showed an eight-year-old Charles sitting on a trunk with a suitcase beside him.
She wrote: “My husband Charles has written a book about his experience at the boarding school he was sent to at age 8. It’s titled ‘A Very Private School’ it’s being released in March, but you can preorder now. As a mother, this photo of him, aged 8, about to leave his home just breaks my heart”.
Karen continued: “I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of him for writing this book. It was hard even watching him write it. Reliving it in order to write it and connecting with his contemporaries who shared the experience and living their trauma has made for a very challenging 5 years. But it’s worth it.
“This is a story that needs to be told, and there is no one better to tell it. His history-author brain, obsessive with detail and facts, his ability to put the whole madness of sending children away at 8 into a [historical] context, and his painfully beautiful writing combine so wonderfully to make this difficult subject absolutely riveting.
“It’s his story, the story of those who lived it with him, and sadly the story of so many others. This common trauma, experienced by so many in positions of power and authority, can’t help but have had an impact on everyone who lives in the UK or within the countries touched by its Empire.Â
“I think the book is such an important piece of modern history, one that I hope may help bring understanding for many. I can’t wait for you to read it [heart emoji].” Charles re-shared the post to his Instagram Stories, lovingly captioning it: “Thank you @karenspencer for all your support”.
