How Queen Elizabeth's astonishing memory lapse destroyed the most sensational royal trial in more than a century. Photo / Getty Images
How Queen Elizabeth's astonishing memory lapse destroyed the most sensational royal trial in more than a century. Photo / Getty Images
In the years that followed the untimely death of Princess Diana, one man proclaimed to be her “rock”, her confidant and “the only man she ever trusted”.
Paul Burrell was employed by the royal family for 21 years, starting off as the Queen’s footman and later becoming Diana’s butler, Daily Mail reports.
The Princess of Wales and Burrell had such a close bond that he even dressed her for her burial. What’s more, he was named a trustee of the Diana Memorial Fund and given the important task of sorting through all of her possessions after she passed.
“Often photographed two steps behind the Princess, he was the obsequious manservant who had supposedly displayed what the royal household values most: absolute discretion,” shares Tina Brown in her bestselling book The Palace Papers.
However, on January 18, 2001, a bombshell was dropped that completely shattered Burrell’s self-proclaimed, self-invented persona as Diana’s “rock”.
Scotland Yard conducted a dawn raid at Burrell’s house in Cheshire. The raid was the result of a tip-off by Princess Margaret’s butler after he was discovered selling a two-foot Arabian dhow which turned out to be a wedding present to Charles and Diana from the Emir of Bahrain. When he was arrested, he revealed he had been given the piece by Burrell.
Paul Burrell was perhaps one of Diana's most well-known members of staff. Photo / Getty Images
When asked by the police if he had any of Diana’s belongings from her Kensington Palace home, Burrell said no.
“A search of the house exposed him immediately,” writes Brown.
“It was a royal Amazon warehouse stuffed with paintings, photos, drawings and china belonging to the Princess.
“The police discovered 2000 negatives, including a photograph of Charles in the bath with his children, and many others showing the young princes naked.”
What’s more, there was also a “trove of personal notes to and from William at school” using Diana’s nickname for him, Wombat, and a “huge cache of Diana’s underwear, blouses, suits, dresses and nightgowns”.
“Even the mahogany desk Burrell was using was inscribed ‘Her Royal Highness’,” writes Brown, going on to say that when he was taken away by police, Burrell yelled: “I want white lilies on my coffin!”
Paul Burrell (left), pictured with Princess Diana, was a close friend of the Princess but fell from favour with the royal family. Photo / Getty Images
When he was arrested, Burrell also claimed he had informed the Queen that he would take some of the Princess of Wales’ belongings for safekeeping and that she had accepted it.
When it came to Burrell’s charges, Charles wanted them dropped, while Diana’s mother and sister did not believe him when he stated that he had the Queen’s permission.
Diana’s family had become “increasingly annoyed” about Burrell “launching himself as a celebrity personality”, writing a book and newspaper column for money and giving speeches on cruise ships while boasting of his association with the Princess of Wales.
Paul Burrell with one of the royal corgis. Photo / Getty Images
They had no intention of backing up Burrell’s claim.
“I hope his balls burn,” Brown claims Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, said.
Despite the Palace’s apprehension, the prosecution went forward and Burrell’s trial began at the Old Bailey in London in October 2002. Burrell was accused of stealing 310 items belonging to Diana’s estate, amounting to the whopping sum of £4.5 million ($9.2m).
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales with butler Paul Burrell, riding at the back of the carriage (left), attend Royal Ascot in June, 1987 in Ascot, England. Photo / Getty Images
Then, remarkably, something “which can only be described as an episode of magical realism in 21st century Britain” happened, writes Brown.
“The trial of Paul Burrell was halted by an intervention from the Queen herself.”
Commander John Yates of Scotland Yard revealed on day 11 of the trial that he had spoken to Sir Michael Peat, who had said: “Her Majesty has had a recollection.”
The Friday before, Queen Elizabeth had been driving past the Old Bailey while with her son Prince Charles and her husband Prince Phillip on their way to St Paul’s Cathedral.
“Noticing a crowd outside the courts, her Majesty asked Charles about it,” shared Brown.
“He told her that Burrell was on trial for theft, and the Queen apparently had no idea. When all was explained to the best-informed monarch in the world, she recalled a meeting five years earlier, soon after Diana’s death, when Burrell had sought an audience with her to explain that he was caring for some of Diana’s ‘papers’.”
“As usual,” Brown adds, “when it came to her family, the Queen had avoided the problem as long as possible, and then executed a lethal coup de grace.”
Once Burrell was acquitted, he boasted to reporters outside of the court, “The Queen came through for me.” The former butler sold his story to the Mirror for £300,000 and released explicit details of the Princess of Wales’ relationships with men such as surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Paul Burrell signing copies of The Way We Were in 2006. Photo / Getty Images
“Mummy’s former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing,” he wrote. “It was merely one man’s self-justifying, self-centring version of events.
“My mother once called this butler a dear friend, trusted him implicitly. We did too. Now this. He was milking her disappearance for money. It made my blood boil.”
