Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell has made fresh claims about the Royal Family in his new book, The Royal Insider, including a concerning warning from the late Queen
Following Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997, the late Queen Elizabeth II allegedly warned Paul Burrell that there were “forces at work in my country of which even I have no knowledge”.
In his latest book, The Royal Insider, Burrell reveals he had a private meeting with Her Majesty, during which she cautioned him to “be careful”.
“We talked of the dreadful day Diana died,” he writes, “and what I witnessed in Paris before the arrival of the Prince of Wales and Diana’s sisters. ‘It must have been awful for you,’ she said.
“I talked of the many people with whom I had spoken and seen, at which point she offered me a stark warning: ‘Do be careful. There are forces at work in my country of which even I have no knowledge.'”
Without providing further details, the monarch made it apparent that their encounter had concluded and, Burrell claims, he never spoke with her again.
Burrell reveals that in December 1997, he felt “alone and vulnerable” following Princess Diana’s death. He claims that Frances Shand Kydd [Princess Diana’s mother] had been visiting Kensington Palace and destroying enormous quantities of documents, many of which were, in his opinion, of tremendous historical significance.
During their discussion, Burrell informed the Queen: “I could not stand by and watch history be erased or the Princess’s world changed. She had fought so hard for the little privacy that she had and I have kept safe the personal items which she entrusted to me and were locked in my filing cabinet in my pantry.”
Burrell’s claims that he had taken several of Princess Diana’s personal items from Kensington Palace for safekeeping have been met with scepticism.
In August 2001, he was accused of taking 315 items from the estate of his late employer, Diana, Princess of Wales, including six items belonging to Prince Charles and 21 items from Prince William.
In a letter to the then-Prince Charles, now King, Burrell defended himself: “I had been entrusted by the Princess to be the caretaker of sensitive items, as well as there being many items which were gifts. I begged for a meeting to straighten out the confusion,” he remembers.
However, Charles declined to meet him, a decision Burrell describes as a “missed opportunity.” After also reaching out to Prince William without success, he turned to the Queen in desperation.
He alleges that Her Majesty made derogatory comments about Diana’s mother, implying that Mrs Shand-Kydd was a heavy drinker.
Burrell also shared that the Queen expressed genuine sorrow over her daughter-in-law’s death: “It’s all such a dreadful business,” she confided in him, adding: “Diana was such a complex and complicated person.
“She had a unique ability to connect with people. She felt at ease with those less fortunate, those in need. She had a natural affinity with people.”
But the most significant aspect of the meeting, according to Burrell, was that it seemed to prompt a vital intervention in his court case.
During his trial at the Old Bailey, in October 2002, the prosecution barrister, William Boyce acknowledged that Burrell’s meeting with the Queen was evidence that he had, as he had been maintaining throughout, informed the Royal Family of his plans to keep some of Diana’s personal belongings at his own residence.
The barrister told the court: “The prosecution consider that if the defence were to apply for the jury to be discharged… the prosecution could not oppose that application.”
Outside the court, Burrell said: “The Queen has come through for me. I’m thrilled, I’m so thrilled.”
