Police launch investigation into Charles Spencer boarding school

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Maidwell Hall, the elite British boarding school where Charles Spencer recently claimed he was abused as a student.

On June 10, Northamptonshire Police announced that an investigation had been launched into allegations of sexual abuse at the school that did not occur recently. The update came after police “conducted preliminary investigations into allegations of abuse that are believed to have occurred at Maidwell Hall School in the 1970s earlier this year.”

“We are in the early stages of investigating a number of recent allegations of sexual abuse at Maidwell Hall School,” a police spokesman said in a statement. “Northamptonshire Police takes all allegations of abuse very seriously and when reports are made to us, we will pursue all available investigative avenues to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Anyone who has ever been a victim of abuse in the district is urged to contact the authorities.

Maidwell Hall declined to comment to PEOPLE, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Princess Diana’s younger brother was enrolled at Maidwell Hall at the age of 8 and described his harrowing five years there in his memoirs, A very private schoolpublished in March. The 9th Earl Spencer claimed he was the victim of physical, verbal and sexual abuse at the boys’ school in the English countryside not far from Althorp House, the ancestral home of the Spencer family where he and Diana grew up.

It was a difficult book that plunged Charles into a painful past.

“I always felt like I had put that chapter of my life behind me,” Earl Spencer, 60, said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “But talking to classmates and hearing their experiences was very distressing for me. I was very shocked by the horror they had told me. And that was the hardest part.”

After A very private school In a statement published on , Maidwell Hall said that after the allegations became known, it had “immediately contacted the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) to ensure that all disclosures are dealt with sensitively, promptly and professionally” and urged anyone with similar experiences to contact the school or police.

Their statement said, in part: “It was very sobering to read about the experiences of the young Charles Spencer and some of his contemporaries at the school and we regret that this experience had to happen to them. It is difficult to read about practices that were unfortunately sometimes considered normal and acceptable at the time.”

The school added that “almost every aspect of school life has evolved significantly since the 1970s.” “At the heart of these changes is the strict safeguarding of children – protecting them from abuse and mistreatment – and promoting their wellbeing,” the statement said.

The Northamptonshire Police investigation into Maidwell Hall comes amid news that the 9th Earl Spencer and his wife Karen Spencer are divorcing after nearly 13 years of marriage. Charles announced the separation The Mail on Sunday on June 8th.

“It’s incredibly sad,” he told the outlet. “I just want to dedicate myself to all my children and grandchildren and wish Karen all the happiness in the future.”

According to the source, Charles’ relationship with the 52-year-old Countess of Spencer ended while he was writing his memoirs. The former couple announced their separation to Althorp staff in April.

Charles and Karen married in Althorp on 18 June 2011 and have a 12-year-old daughter together, Charlotte Diana, whose middle name is a tribute to her late aunt. Both have been married before and have older children from their previous unions.

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On June 9 The times reported that Charles hired the same lawyer that King Charles hired for his divorce from Princess Diana in 1996. Earl Spencer reportedly hired influential lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who has also represented Prince Andrew, Paul McCartney and Princess Haya bint al-Hussein of Jordan in their separations from their former spouses.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.