Paul Burrell, Diana's Former Butler

[maryshawn]

Paul Burrell spent 21 years working for the British Royal Family. In 1987, he became butler to the Prince and Princess of Wales at Highgrove, their country estate. When the couple separated in 1992, he moved to Kensington Palace to serve as butler to the late Princess of Wales and held that position until her death.

Since her death, Mr. Burrell was indicted on charges of taking things from Princess Diana--charges which were subsequently dismissed when the Queen intervened, and written a book called "A Royal Duty" about his life with the Princess of Wales. He continues to comment publicly on matters relating to the British Royal Family.

Some members and I thought it would be interesting to start a thread on Mr. Burrell and his activities, before and after the death of the Princess of Wales. So please feel free to post your thoughts in adherence with the rules and policies of The Royal Forums.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Paul Burrell spent 21 years working for the British Royal Family. In 1987, he became butler to the Prince and Princess of Wales at Highgrove, their country estate. When the couple separated in 1992, he moved to Kensington Palace to serve as butler to the late Princess of Wales and held that position until her death.

Since her death, Mr. Burrell was indicted on charges of taking things from Princess Diana--charges which were subsequently dismissed when the Queen intervened, and written a book called "A Royal Duty" about his life with the Princess of Wales. He continues to comment publicly on matters relating to the British Royal Family.

Some members and I thought it would be interesting to start a thread on Mr. Burrell and his activities, before and after the death of the Princess of Wales. So please feel free to post your thoughts in adherence with the rules and policies of The Royal Forums.

Hi, Mary
Thanks for getting this started! This will be very interesting. I am really curious to know what others here feel about the trial. I have had so many thoughts about it. First of all, I want to assure everyone that I have enormous respect for the British royal family. I admire them in some cases. However, as to their involvement in the Burrell affair, I can't help suspecting some foul play on their part. I do not believe that Paul Burrell took anything. I came to this decision after reading an article of Dominick Dunne in Vanity Fair, published during the trial. Also, several other sources state that these things he supposedly took were gifts and that Diana had a very unusual degree of closeness with her butler. By "unusual degree", I am not implying anything sexual or inappropriate. I only mean that there must be a reason several sources say that Diana called him her "rock".
Returning to the trial, I think it's very odd that the Queen "suddenly remembered" her conversation with Burrell after Diana's death. She claimed she didn't remember telling him to take Diana's things, then he was indicted and there was a trial, and just before he was scheduled to testify, she "suddenly remembers". This is very suspicious, in my opinion. This makes me think that the Queen feared that Burrell would reveal something embarrassing about the royal family, or something that would bring dishonor or disgrace upon them. All that said, I suspect the whole investigation and trial to have been a hoax to "get rid" of Burrell because he knew too much. Rather than kill him (which is what Henry VIII would have done, no doubt) there was an attempt to discredit him in the public, disgrace his name, and put him in jail. But the royal family did not go after him directly. In order to keep a safe distance from the unpleasantness, they used the Spencer family as the hammer to hit Burrell on the head and shut him up. They never expected him to testify, or want to testify, or be able to testify. If they had, they probably would have got rid of him some other way. I don't mean that they would have bumped him off. I don't suspect the modern royal family of bumping anyone off. But I just mean, things might have been handled a different way. This is just my theory. I might be wrong, and for the family's sake, I hope so.

I also suspect that when Prince William wanted to speak directly, face-to-face with Burrell, the family were afraid Burrell would tell him things, things that they don't necessarily want William to know about. And that is why, I believe, the meeting was abruptly cancelled and never brought up again.

 

[maryshawn]

I found the Queen's "sudden recollection" of a conversation with Mr. Burrell very odd, as well. I do think the Spencers were hopeful Mr. Burrell would be charged and convicted for taking things which were not his, in their opinion. This family doesn't back down easily. The British royal family, on the other hand, saw things escalating, realized what could be brought out at any trial and took a more pragmatic overview and wanted the matter dropped and forgotten. I suspect they hoped that by "firing this warning shot" over Mr. Burrell's head, they hoped he would go away and lead a quiet life--preferably in the States. The fact he wrote his book and continues to speak in the media and still lives in the UK must be anathema to them.

I am not familiar with the Dominick Dunne piece you speak of. I'd heard he'd written on the subject but never read the article.

I think holding onto some of the things he had was rather odd. Her nightwear, the letters to the boys, photos,...... Seems strange to me and I would have expected him to hand over the "Dear Wombat" letters to William, no muss, no fuss.

Diana's friends are a bit all over the board when it comes to Mr. Burrell. Those who support your view, that the things in Mr. Burrell's house were there for good reasons and at Diana's request, have either stuck to this or changed their minds when the extent of the contents were catalogued and published--particularly after his book was written. Then, a few of them came out with guns blazing against him.

I still don't know who "tipped" authorities off there might be these things at Mr. Burrell's house. Has there ever been an official explanation by the police? They must have had to explain their actions in some way for their search and seizure of the articles in question. Also, where are these things now? Were they all returned to Mr. Burrell or have they been dispersed or destroyed? Someone clearly had an "agenda" when they notified authorities. When you think about it, if the Spencers or Windsors knew and wanted to handle the matter quietly, they could have gone to Mr. Burrell and asked for the items--leaving him to say yes or no.

Also, remember Mr. Burrell's mysterious statements sent out as "a secret code" to William and Harry about "remember what we talked about that day in the apartment. I will never betray you or your mother's confidences." Some say that triggered the Queen coming forward. But my memory is a bit foggy on this matter. Does anyone recall what that was about and if it was pertaining to the trial or the book publication?

What does Paul Burrell do now professionally? Does he live off the royalties of the book--which various sources have argued sold well or sold poorly. And I don't know the answer to how well it did. Does he do personal appearances for money to discuss Diana? Does he appear as a regular contributor to various newspapers as a commentator on the royals?

I agree that the whole thing seems fishy for a lot of reasons. I guess I can't totally figure out why this man held onto things which were so obviously the belongings of Diana's sons nor can I figure out why he would play his trump card as the "keeper of the secrets" by writing his book? Was it payback to the Spencers and Royal Family?

You raise good points. I think highly of Mr. Dunne and wish I could have read his thoughts on the whole situation. I'll try to google search and find an article or interview.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I read your response a couple of days ago and I wanted to reply but didn't have the chance to do so with great thought. So here is my response now.

but, wait, I have to say first, I just viewed PB's website and I'm disappointed, though not surprised, there was no mention of the trial and the whole ordeal surrounding it. i hoped for some statement or something but he pretends like it never happened.

I agree with you that the items he had seemed like strange items for him to have. Do you have further details about these letters addressed to Wills and Harry? Are they originals or copies? Because, if they are copies, it is possible Diana had Paul make copies for safekeeping and archiving and he has never destroyed them out of loyalty. Surely the originals would be in the possession of the addressees?? I'll be interested to know if Paul has the originals or not.

About the Dunne article, I must say there were things in it which annoyed me and which I didn't agree with, but overall, I found his perceptions of the situation to be very sound. It was a Vanity Fair article that came out in January 2003. Charlize Theron was on the cover. I do actually have a way of getting this to you but it will be a couple months' wait, if that's ok.


As executer of the Will, Lady Sarah would be in charge of all the assets, no? Or rather of making sure all the possessions of Diana were forwarded to the correct people. I wonder if one of or some of the Spencers wanted certain items and since Paul had them, if they requested from him that they can take these things. If he said no, maybe they got mad and accused him of stealing?

Or maybe Wills and Harry wanted a specific something, so their royal secretary or aide sent a request to PB, who refused, and as revenge, the royal reps passed on word of this to the Spencers. Possibly the Spencers reported to the authorities their accusation that PB had stolen some items out of KP?

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

I always thought he was pretty cool and just needed to make some money because he lost so much for no reason (the trial)...but then I found out he writes about the royal family for a tabloid-that is just plain wrong and rude...

 

[maryshawn]

According to the prosecutor in the trial, the letters and photo albums were originals, not copies. He circulated some of them to the jury so they could see for themselves. I could understand PB safeguarding copies; I can't understand why he would hold onto the originals--and family albums, which surely Diana's sons would want.

I imagine the Royal Family are more than a bit alarmed by Mr. Burrell's failure to disappear off the tabloid circuit. He wrote his book and made his money, now move on.

I find it interesting to read in his book, PB recounts his sitting around drinking 3 bottles of wine a day just to sleep while his wife cleaned houses to make ends meet. At one point, clearly at her wit's end, she grabbed a photo of Diana and shook it in his face, saying: "She had you by the balls in her lifetime, and she still has you by the balls now!"

It would seem Maria Burrell wants her husband to go on with his life....and I think many of us would agree.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

He does not need anymore publicity. This man, I use the term lightly, needs to remember he was a SERVANT, not a ROYAL.

I think his behavior has been disgusting and flagrant for a man who professes to have loved and served Diana so well.

He is a perverse, catty, individual who should have been tried for what he took.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

According to the prosecutor in the trial, the letters and photo albums were originals, not copies. He circulated some of them to the jury so they could see for themselves. I could understand PB safeguarding copies; I can't understand why he would hold onto the originals--and family albums, which surely Diana's sons would want.

I imagine the Royal Family are more than a bit alarmed by Mr. Burrell's failure to disappear off the tabloid circuit. He wrote his book and made his money, now move on.

I find it interesting to read in his book, PB recounts his sitting around drinking 3 bottles of wine a day just to sleep while his wife cleaned houses to make ends meet. At one point, clearly at her wit's end, she grabbed a photo of Diana and shook it in his face, saying: "She had you by the balls in her lifetime, and she still has you by the balls now!"

It would seem Maria Burrell wants her husband to go on with his life....and I think many of us would agree.

Wow, he actually mentions all this in his book? I would've thought he'd talk about himself in a more flattering manner. I have not read this book but I had heard from one person who read it than all the info. about Diana was very harmless, very typical of others' book content about her, and that he kept things respectful and didn't expose seriously private things. But that was just one person's impression, of course. I am not impressed with this info. I am learning in this thread. It is making me question my sureness that he was all victim and no offender. I am trying to keep an open mind, though. I want to be fair to all sides, but I don't want to judge PB based on these statements about him.

 

[maryshawn]

Yes, he does write about himself in this way. I'm not exactly sure why he included that particular statement made by his wife.....almost makes her sound angry at Diana. Essentially, almost 1/4 of the book is about PB after Diana's death. He presents his "case," if you will and his recounting of the facts. The rest is interesting but there are no "knock your socks off" revelations. His main thrust is how important he was to the Princess and how she confided things in him. He takes a few pot shots at other men, in particular, who he felt were possibly influencing Diana more than he felt was proper. All in all, I read it and thought this man was extremely possessive of Diana. It gives some credence to those who have said--including some of her closer friends--she was getting tired of him snooping around her and her things. She felt he was a bit too close, always hovering around. I think this book was written for two reasons: to get a piece of his own back at the Spencers for the trial and to provide a living legacy of how close he was to Princess Diana. He wants to be remembered as her one and only "rock." A third reason could be he needed the money and the attention. My feeling is PB needed this book more than anyone else did. And, now, I wish he would cease and desist and just go quietly. I'm still amazed the man has his own website! If he were really a staunch friend, he would never have written a book about Diana. All in all, I believe those who have never said much, save for pleasant comments in video interviews, like Lucia Flecha de Lima, were far more Diana's friends than Mr. Burrell ever was. But I am going to read the last sections more carefully to try and figure out how his relationship with the Spencers went from decent to disastrous in such a short period of time.

 

[Duchess]

i'm in the midst of reading this book for the second time and i have to say that i still feel that he overstates his value to Diana. I can't quite put my finger on it as to why i feel this way. perhaps it's because he always paints himself in such a good light...the ever patient, completely loyal, never complaining servant. or maybe it's the bit about him falling asleep in her closet after her death. this man is a HUGE narcissist!


also, for any of you that have the book can you have a look at something for me. in the photos there's one that shows the back garden of the home he was shown near highgrove prior to moving there. then there's another photo of the front of what's supposedly the same home after renovations. this might be picky but i don't think they're the same home. if you look closely at the roofing, one has shingles and the other has what looks like curved tiles. the other difference is that in the first photo, the outside walls of the house are a stucco like material and in the second photo they appear to be stone.

 

[maryshawn]

I just looked and they don't look like the same house at all. I wondered about that when I first saw the photos. IF they are the same house, someone put a ton of money into its restoration!!!!

I think your observations about Mr. Burrell are the same which trouble me, as well. Never a difference of opinion, always there and at the Princess' beck and call (even when he says Diana stopped speaking to his wife and only he and his sons could go to her home; he really puts his wife's relationship with Diana "out there" more than he needed to, IMO. It's like he finds it flattering--in his opinion--both women wanted him around but he's clear; Diana won out. This is hardly flattering to his wife, nor to the Princess of Wales). If his accounts are accurate, I would have found him a pest--there first thing in the morning till he turned off all the lights at night, save for the one she always wanted on outside of her bedroom in the hall. The way he tells it, he was always there with her--eating, watching movies, talking, ........ It basically leaves no room in her life for others--so I think time has bloated some of these memories.

 

[Duchess]

you have to wonder if she wanted him there that often or he just stayed, whether he was welcome or not. i think he definitely has a twisted view of the employer/employee relationship.

 

[maryshawn]

Doesn't he strike you as more underfoot (not to mention, underhanded) than anything? It's hard to know. Diana didn't like being alone--hence, her need for three cell phones and nonstop stream of advisors/healers, but some people have gone on record--including that reporter whose name always escapes me who she confided in--that she definitely did not like having him around her all the time and felt he was listening at doors and snooping through her things when she wasn't there. Many accounts state he was on his way out and Diana was hoping he would get a position with a celebrity and leave her household. The danger in firing him was that he did know so much...... and--as we see know--can and will use it. It makes me shudder when he references "things he knows but hasn't made public out of respect and caring for the boys and the Boss."

you have to wonder if she wanted him there that often or he just stayed, whether he was welcome or not. i think he definitely has a twisted view of the employer/employee relationship.

 

[Duchess]

i think the reporter you're thinking of is richard kay. and yes i agree, he seemed more underfoot than anything else. how sees writing a book and continually talking about diana as "respect for the boys" is beyond me. it seems the only ones that have shown any respect for the boys and diana are luchia flecha de lima, rosa monckton and surprisingly, charles by not talking about her! burrell is as bad as hewitt in my opinion.

 

[maryshawn]

From the AP in 2003:


In the BBC interview, Mr Burrell complained that Diana's sons had not been in touch with him since his trial.

"It would have been a very different world if the telephone had rung and the boys had said, 'Oh Paul we're sorry we couldn't help you during your trial, we just couldn't, our hands were tied. Why don't you come down to London with Maria and the boys and we'll do something?'"

Referring to his book, Mr Burrell added: "Just one telephone call would have stopped it - one. Is that too much too ask - really?

This quote from Mr. Burrell just supports my feelings about him. So he was trying to hold the Princes hostage by dangling his book over their heads??? That's just nasty! He comes off as a very petty, petulant man, IMO. If I'm reading this correctly, he's trying to say he wouldn't have published the book had Princes William or Harry called him???? In other words, he knows what he did was wrong and it's payback time.

In the Sunday Mirror, the butler's wife, Maria Burrell, was quoted as saying: "The royal household want everyone to focus on the plight of William and Harry, but what about my boys? No one gave them any consideration when their dad was dragged to court and threatened with prison when all he did was protect Princess Diana's world."

Mr Arbiter, the former palace spokesman, predicted Mr Burrell wasn't finished.

"We have got a runaway train here and it is not going to stop until it hits the buffers, and the buffers are a long way off," he said on Saturday.

 

[maryshawn]

From AP 2003; in an interview with a "relaxed, unconcerned Paul Burrell":

In a newspaper interview which will be of great concern to a Royal Family already devastated by the damaging revelations serialised in the Mirror last week, Mr Burrell suggested his claims had merely been "the tip of the iceberg" and threatened to reveal further Royal secrets.

It emerged yesterday that the book’s initial print run in the United States ran to one million - a fifth of record-breaking Scots author JK Rowling’s latest Harry Potter novel.

The extraordinary and unprecedented war of words between the palace and the former Royal servant of 21 years’ standing - which began on Friday when the princes accused him of a "cold and overt betrayal" of their mother - continued unabated yesterday.

As reports suggested Mr Burrell might be preparing a second book based on material he has held back, a spokeswoman at Clarence House reiterated the princes’ plea for the revelations to stop.

Well, we haven't seen it yet but I firmly believe Mr. Burrell will be writing more--and a second book could very well be in the works. A friend of Diana's, Vivienne Parry, said "Mr. Burrell was thinking of one thing only when he wrote this book--"P" for "pension plan."

 

[maryshawn]

Thank you; it is Richard Kay! And you make an excellent point about Charles. He has been nothing but silent when it comes to Diana and apparently has instructed his inner circle to do the same. I think, on a few occasions, he made a few complimentary remarks about his dead ex-wife. I believe they were on overseas trips when he made his remarks.

i think the reporter you're thinking of is richard kay. and yes i agree, he seemed more underfoot than anything else. how sees writing a book and continually talking about diana as "respect for the boys" is beyond me. it seems the only ones that have shown any respect for the boys and diana are luchia flecha de lima, rosa monckton and surprisingly, charles by not talking about her! burrell is as bad as hewitt in my opinion.

 

[Duchess]

From the AP in 2003:


In the BBC interview, Mr Burrell complained that Diana's sons had not been in touch with him since his trial.

"It would have been a very different world if the telephone had rung and the boys had said, 'Oh Paul we're sorry we couldn't help you during your trial, we just couldn't, our hands were tied. Why don't you come down to London with Maria and the boys and we'll do something?'"

Referring to his book, Mr Burrell added: "Just one telephone call would have stopped it - one. Is that too much too ask - really?

This quote from Mr. Burrell just supports my feelings about him. So he was trying to hold the Princes hostage by dangling his book over their heads??? That's just nasty! He comes off as a very petty, petulant man, IMO. If I'm reading this correctly, he's trying to say he wouldn't have published the book had Princes William or Harry called him???? In other words, he knows what he did was wrong and it's payback time.

In the Sunday Mirror, the butler's wife, Maria Burrell, was quoted as saying: "The royal household want everyone to focus on the plight of William and Harry, but what about my boys? No one gave them any consideration when their dad was dragged to court and threatened with prison when all he did was protect Princess Diana's world."

Mr Arbiter, the former palace spokesman, predicted Mr Burrell wasn't finished.

"We have got a runaway train here and it is not going to stop until it hits the buffers, and the buffers are a long way off," he said on Saturday.

can you believe she dragged her children into this whole mess?! how can she even compare them to William and Harry? if her husband wasn't such name dropping money grabbing blabbermouth then he wouldn't have been in trouble in the first place.

 

[ysbel]

I've avoided this thread because the whole situation around Paul Burrell is so sleazy. It just makes my skin crawl.

But I will say that the Burrell boys were dragged into the trial when the jury got a video tour of the Burrell home. Only their bedrooms were offlimits.

Its these boys that I feel most sorry for, not William and Harry. William and Harry were born into a public life and have people around them to help them cope with situations like this.

These kids come from a working class background and I doubt if they were shielded at all from the public spectacle.

In one sense I agree with the wife. Everybody feels so much sympathy for Diana and William and Harry but nobody seems to care that Paul abandoned his wife and two young children emotionally on what seemed like an obsession with Diana.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Throw him in the Tower of London......

 

[Aussie Princess]

He can currently be seen on Network Ten's 'Australian Princess'.........

 

[Duchess]

I've avoided this thread because the whole situation around Paul Burrell is so sleazy. It just makes my skin crawl.

But I will say that the Burrell boys were dragged into the trial when the jury got a video tour of the Burrell home. Only their bedrooms were offlimits.

Its these boys that I feel most sorry for, not William and Harry. William and Harry were born into a public life and have people around them to help them cope with situations like this.

These kids come from a working class background and I doubt if they were shielded at all from the public spectacle.

In one sense I agree with the wife. Everybody feels so much sympathy for Diana and William and Harry but nobody seems to care that Paul abandoned his wife and two young children emotionally on what seemed like an obsession with Diana.

have to agree with you on the point you made about william and harry having people to help them cope....very good point. i hope the burrell boys don't grow up with this chasing them around.

 

[Australian]

I think Paul Burrell is an opportunist who should be ashamed of himself. Simple as that.

 

[sm1939]

I think Paul Burrell is an opportunist who should be ashamed of himself. Simple as that.

I total agree with you

 

[Jackswife]

I classify Paul Burrell in the same low-down category as James Hewitt. Basically, he violated Diana's confidence and trust (and by extension, that of William and Harry). It's tragic how his sons have suffered because of his own short-sightedness and self-promotion. I guess people will betray anyone for a few dollars.

 

[Australian]

most definately Jackswife, he seems like an upstart mand who would betray his close friend for a buck or two, (ok slightly more)

 

[maryshawn]

That statement about how he would never have written the book had William or Harry called to get together really troubles me. It's like he's the proverbial sword of damocles hanging over their heads. And that's just cruel and unusual punishment for William and Harry and Burrell's family, as well. No, his children should not have been dragged into this--but Mr. Burrell might have taken that into account before he decided to publish his account of Diana. He's got a whole bunch of people living in dread of what he might decide to reveal next. His children included--as further revelations will point the cameras once again in his direction. Is he obsessed with Diana? I think so and more than a bit. Would he have still published the book had he heard from the Princes? I have no clue. Sounds like a convenient excuse. If he really "loved" Diana and her sons; heck, if he loves his family, it is time to dismantle the website and put away the laptop and get about living a new life--sans further revelations about the Princess of Wales. There's a thread, a pattern running through Burrell's life--and that is his lack of regard for his own family, wife and sons. Very troubling and as insightful to the man's character as anything he wrote in the book or subsequent pieces.

 

[Duchess]

I think he's totally obsessed with the Princess; he was in life and he is now. Even if William and Harry had contacted him he'd still have published this book, he's in it for the money and he won't stop until he's wrung every last cent out of it. What kind of man falls asleep in the a woman's closet? A man that's got deep emotional problems. I admit that he was grieving but he was an employee.

 

[maryshawn]

I'd forgotten about that. Very troubling. You're likely right about Burrell and the Princes. Even if he put off publishing the book after 1 call and 1 visit, he would have found some reason to publish......Ugh!

I think he's totally obsessed with the Princess; he was in life and he is now. Even if William and Harry had contacted him he'd still have published this book, he's in it for the money and he won't stop until he's wrung every last cent out of it. What kind of man falls asleep in the a woman's closet? A man that's got deep emotional problems. I admit that he was grieving but he was an employee.

 

[Leelot]

I have never had the impression that Paul Burrel had honorable intentions. This has recently been reinforced for me in his painfully public attempts to generate ongoing fame. His role in the Australian Princess series was quite frankly embarassing. He should be ashamed of himself, but I guess if he had any humility he would not be doing what he is doing.