Due to poor health, much of Stella Charnaud's education was via private tutors. A 1963 profile provided more background on her childhood. She was the fifth of nine Charnaud children – with four brothers and four sisters – and was exactly in the middle. Spinal troubles confined her to bed for "months and years", but she would later speak of its advantages – not least that she became a listening post for her siblings and half siblings. She said: "it was like being the spider in the middle of a large web". "The Observer" suggested it had taught her the art of diplomacy. While she would later describe herself as "brung up", because of her lack of formal education, she combined learning from the local Church of England chaplain with the tutelage of a governess at home. She spoke fluent French and German and some Italian and Greek.