Like Earl Spencer, I’m a man with an eating disorder – it’s time to tell the truth about what it’s like

It is unusual to come across other men who are prepared to be open about having an eating disorder – least of all a royal, writes James Downs – who’s suffered with anorexia and bulimia for 20 years

Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has published his memoir (PA)

It is easy to think that people like Earl Spencer, in positions of privilege in society, must live gilded lives – untouched by the problems of everyday people. Or, that when they do encounter problems, they have resources that are unavailable to so many people who have to fight their way through benefits forms or NHS waiting lists.

But Spencer’s new book, A Very Private School, offers revelations about his childhood and education that show how all parts of society are exposed to the potential for abuse, and none of us are left untouched by the impact of difficult life experiences on our mental health.

While I have been disturbed by the horrors of Earl Spencer’s upbringing, the sexual abuse he experienced at school and the mistreatment he describes at home, the one thing that has surprised me the most is his experience of bulimia. It’s not that bulimia is the worst part of what he describes, but it is perhaps the least expected.