Princess Diana's Brother Says They Were Both Beaten by Nannies as Children in New Memoir

Charles Spencer alleges that he and his sister, Princess Diana, were physically punished by two nannies during their childhood at Althorp, according to his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published in the UK on 22 September 2026.

Spencer recalls one nanny allegedly striking their palms with a wooden spoon, while another is accused of banging their heads against a concrete wall.

The allegations are based on Spencer's personal recollections.

The memoir recounts Spencer's childhood with Diana, their parents' divorce and the experiences he says shaped their family life. Its official description says the siblings were inseparable, secretly calling each other 'Duch' and 'Carlos,' while enduring difficult boarding schools and 'terrifying nannies.'

Charles Spencer Describes Alleged Nanny Abuse

For context, Spencer writes that the family employed a succession of nannies, many of whom he remembers as kind. He characterises two others as 'abusive', according to excerpts reported.

Spencer alleges that one nanny struck his and Diana's outstretched palms with a wooden spoon. He recalls that she wielded it with enough force to leave marks on less visible parts of their hands.

'The other was much worse,' Spencer writes.

According to his account, the second nanny allegedly struck the children's heads against the white concrete wall outside the nursery. Spencer describes the pain as 'dizzying' and 'throbbing', accompanied by what he calls 'bewilderment.'

He further alleges that the nanny grabbed the siblings by their hair and banged their heads together when both were being punished. Spencer writes that the strikes left them in tears, describing the 'shock' as 'enormous.'

Spencer says he and Diana remained strong-willed despite what he recalls. He credits their 'vigilance' and writes that they were stubborn when convinced an adult's actions were wrong.

The memoir also contains an allegation involving another nanny and Diana's older sisters, Sarah and Jane. Spencer writes that their mother, Frances Shand Kydd, dismissed the nanny after becoming concerned about the girls' frequent stomach upsets.

Spencer alleges that the nanny had been giving the children laxatives. He attributes the conduct to what he calls 'her own perverse reasons,' but the material reviewed does not independently establish the alleged motive or events.

He also remembers Sally Percival as his 'loveliest' nanny. The contrast suggests that Spencer's memoir distinguishes between staff members he recalls fondly and those he alleges mistreated him and Diana.

The nannies are not named in the available material. However, the allegations concern identifiable historical circumstances within the Spencer household, so the claims should be understood as Spencer's testimony rather than established fact.

Memoir Revisits Maidwell Hall Experiences

Spencer's earlier accounts of boarding school provide additional context for Swan Song, which explores both his relationship with Diana and his own childhood.

In A Very Private School, he described his five years at Maidwell Hall, a boys' boarding school in Northamptonshire. He wrote about beatings, isolation and a culture of secrecy.

'Soon after I arrived at Maidwell,' Spencer wrote, 'I learned that the school never had a victimless day.' He also recalled boys being beaten with slippers and described the pain as 'shocking in its intensity.'

During a 2024 interview, Spencer said he had been sent to the school at eight and continued to experience nightmares about it decades later. He described the headmaster, Mr Porch, as having extensive power over the school and alleged that staff members abused their positions.

Maidwell Hall said that 'almost every facet of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s.' The school said safeguarding children and promoting their welfare were central to those changes.

It added that, although it had not directly received claims from former pupils, it had referred the matter to authorities and encouraged anyone with similar experiences to contact the school or police.

Spencer's new memoir places those experiences alongside his memories of Diana, their parents' divorce and life at Althorp. The publisher describes the book as a personal account of his sister's life and death, published nearly 29 years after Diana died on 31 August 1997.

The book has also drawn attention for its disputed account of a conversation involving King Charles following Diana's death. It was reported that Buckingham Palace challenged Spencer's recollection, while Spencer stood by his version.

That dispute is separate from the nanny allegations. In those passages, the central evidence is Spencer's own account of events from childhood, with no court finding or independent investigation identified in the material reviewed for this article.

The memoir recounts how Spencer remembers Diana and himself navigating their childhood within a household shaped by adult decisions and family difficulties. What happened behind the walls of Althorp remains described through one witness's memory, and that distinction matters.