Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell believes she is haunting him

Former butler Paul Burrell says he was "taught a long time ago by Princess Diana, that there is something [paranormal], and she was a great believer". Photo / Getty Images

Princess Diana’s former butler believes she is haunting him.

Paul Burrell - who worked for the late royal from 1987 until he death in a Paris car crash a decade later - and his husband Graham Cooper have been experiencing paranormal activities in their home in Cheshire and the former I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! star is convinced it is the princess’ spirit.

Speaking on Discovery+ show Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted, he said: “I think if anybody could come back, it would be the Princess. And if she wanted to tell me something, I think my Princess would come to me.”

Burrell explained the couple have been bothered by regular “thudding” noises in their bedroom and the smell of tobacco smoke suddenly appearing.

He also said: “My husband woke up at three o’clock in the morning, reared up in bed, and is screaming, “There’s somebody in the room, there’s somebody in the room! I can see somebody at the foot of the bed!’

“I wake up, bolt upright, and I can see a shape or something; I seriously thought about a shotgun or a baseball bat. Because we are in the middle of nowhere, and nobody would hear us scream.”

The 65-year-old former royal staff member was introduced to the paranormal world by Diana when he worked with her. Photo / @lorraine

The 65-year-old former royal staff member was introduced to the paranormal world by Diana when he worked with her.

He said: “I was taught a long time ago by Princess Diana, that there is something, and she was a great believer. I think a little of that rubbed off on me.”

During the episode, paranormal expert Ian Lawman broke down in tears when he walked into the house and sensed a “female presence”.

He said: “It’s really got to me. This is Paul Burrell’s house. I used to read for Princess Diana and that’s the emotion and feeling in the car and now it’s just got to me.”

Along with Burrell, the team then took part in an attempt to reach out to Diana by capturing and projecting spirit voices.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by discovery+ UK (@discoveryplusuk)

Burrell shouted: “Hello, hello! It’s me. Are you watching over me?”

In between static, the team heard a voice saying: “I’m here. Sorry.”

The emotional ex-butler replied: “You don’t have to be sorry.”

They also heard the word “France”, prompting Burrell to say: “I don’t understand why it would say France other than the fact that the Princess died in France and the fact I went to France to bring her home.”