Paul Burrell's Struggles With Royalty: The Queen's Intervention And William's 'Betrayal' (2023)

Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler, has had several clashes with the royal family, including Prince William and Prince Harry, since he stopped working for them after Diana's death.

Very few people get up close and personal with family members - but they doPaul Burellseems to be one of them

He joined the royal household as a servant when he was just 18.for the late queenbut is probably best known as the personal butler ofPrincess Diana.

Diana is alleged to have called him a "rock" and he worked with her until her untimely death in 1997.

But although its royal service has long since disappeared,Paul, who revealed he is battling prostate cancerSince then, she has had several contacts with members of the company....

real life

Paul's royal service began when he was still a teenager and he came to Buckingham Palace as a servant.

He quickly gained the nickname "Little Paul" to differentiate him from his much larger colleague Paul Whybrew, who was known as "Big Paul".

After working for Her Late Majesty, he joined the household of Charles and Diana as a butler at the Highgrove residence of the then Prince of Wales.

After the couple split, he became Diana's personal butler, who at the time made Kensington Palace her home.

And looking back, he remembered that the late princess was like any normal mother with her children.Prinz WilliamePrince Harry, erevealed her Saturday night ritual.

He once told The Mirror: "The three of them went to McDonald's for a Big Mac and fries before heading back to watch Blind Date. All three perched on this huge stuffed hippo that Diana had in her living room.

“They loved Blind Date and I could hear them screaming all things like 'Oh, don't pick him!' and 'Lorra, lorra fun'."

Dianas Tod

Paul's service to the royal family ended in 1997, following Diana's shocking death in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

After her death, he traveled to the French capital with clothes and some rosaries for her before returning some of her belongings that were still at the Ritz.

During an appearance on the Australian version of I'm a celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2018, Paul, who also took part in the UK version of the show in 2004,tearful revealed how he begged Diana to "wake up" as he sat next to her bodyin the Paris hospital, where he died.

queen's intervention

After Diana's death, Paul was among a small group tasked with searching her belongings.

Her apartment at Kensington Palace was filled with beautiful dresses, expensive jewelry and her handwritten letters.

He says the princess's family wanted to dispose of some of their belongings, but he believed everything should be saved for Princes William and Harry.

Diana's family didn't approve, but he decided to do it anyway - taking some of his belongings back to his home in Cheshire and storing them in the attic.

But in June 1998, 10 months after Diana's death, a police offer saw him stop at Kensington Palace at 3:30 am, enter and leave with two dresses and a wooden box.

Three years later, an investigation was launched into the sale of some of Diana's private belongings in the United States.

Police searched his Cheshire home at dawn and he was later accused of robbing the princess.

He was charged and a trial began at the Old Bailey with great public interest in the case.

Just when he almost lost hopeadditional evidence came from an unexpected source - the Queen.

She had no idea that Paul's trial was taking place until she passed the courthouse on her way to church. As he asked what was going on, she thought back to a conversation she'd had with him shortly after Diana's death.

After hearing the accusations against Paul, the Queen stepped in to share details of the conversation.

His new information confirmed that it was not palace robbery, so the trial failed and Paul was cleared of all charges.

series of memories

After the trial failed, Paul published his memoir titled A Royal Duty, in which he detailed what life was like with royalty and Diana.

But the book sparked a rift between him and Princes William and Harry, who issued a statement ahead of its release.

They accused Paul of cheating on his mother and described the memoir as "a cold, open betrayal".

The statement added: "It was deeply painful not just for the two of us but for everyone else affected and it would shame our mother if she were alive today and, if we can say so, it makes us feel better.

"We ask Paul to stop these revelations."

Paul responded, however, saying he was "saddened" by the statement, explaining, "My only intention in writing this book was to defend the Princess and stand by her.

"I would also like to point out that following the failure of my trial at the Old Bailey last year, no one from the royal family has contacted me or apologized for the unnecessary ordeal my wife, children and I have been through.

"I also make no apologies for writing this book, which I am very proud of and which the Princess would be proud of as well. I have spoken the truth where the British public should know the truth."

harry book

Now, 20 years after Paul's book was published, Prince Harry has published his own memoir entitled Spare, in which he directly references "Mum's butler".

He said he "got his blood boiling" when he found out he was publishing a book and said he "ordered her disappearance for money".

Harry writes that he was about to return from a trip to Australia to "confront" Paul, but King Charles and William dissuaded him, saying that all they could do was "issue a unified condemnation".

After the book's release earlier this month, Paul reacted by saying he "broke down in tears" when he read what Harry had written about him.

He saidThe sun: “Harry forgets what led up to my book – I was tried and went through hell and back for two years falsely accused of theft. The prosecution had his word, but I never got mine. The book was my defense. It was also a loving tribute to his mother and grandmother.

"Harry knows very well how devoted I was to his mother, in life and on the page."

Meanwhile, in an interview on ITV's Lorraine today, where he discussed his cancer diagnosis, he said:Paul said that Harry's memories "confused" him.

He explained: "He knew what I did for his mum - he knew how much I loved her and protected her memory, he knows all of that.

"Why did he call me Mom's butler? Why didn't he come up to me personally and say he wasn't happy with the situation?"

"I always defended him until the last minute and now I'm like, 'You missed the plan,'" he told Lorraine.