Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, has spoken out about Earl Spencer’s new memoir, offering a very different perspective on some of the book’s claims about the late princess and the Royal Family.
Burrell, who worked closely with Diana for years before her death in 1997, has questioned several of the accounts contained in Spencer’s memoir, particularly the descriptions of events surrounding Diana’s death.
One of the most contentious claims concerns King Charles and his reaction after Diana died in a Paris car crash.
Spencer describes a phone conversation in which he says the King sounded unusually upbeat. Burrell, however, has strongly disputed that portrayal, saying his own experience at the time was completely different.
The former butler recalled seeing Charles in Paris after Diana’s death and said the King appeared deeply distressed. According to Burrell, Charles looked pale and shaken and had clearly been crying after spending time with Diana’s sisters.
Burrell has also questioned how closely Spencer was involved in Diana’s life during her final years. He suggested that his own long-standing relationship with the princess gave him a different insight into what she experienced behind the scenes.
The comments add another layer to the growing debate surrounding Spencer’s memoir, which contains a series of personal recollections and claims about Diana, her marriage to Charles and the events surrounding her death.
Burrell has made clear that he does not recognise some of the picture presented in the book, arguing that his memories of Diana and the people around her differ significantly from Spencer’s account.
His intervention comes as the memoir continues to generate controversy, with several of its claims being challenged by people who knew Diana or were involved in events described in the book.
For Burrell, the issue is not simply about competing memories of the past. He believes that understanding Diana’s final years requires considering the people who were actually present in her day-to-day life.
The former butler’s comments are therefore likely to add further scrutiny to Spencer’s account as readers examine the memoir’s portrayal of Diana, her family and the Royal Family.