Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Alahna Kindred

Harry says Diana's butler Paul Burrell 'made my blood boil' after 'milking' mum's death

Prince Harry accused Diana's former butler of "milking" her death for money as more revelations in his highly-controversial book come out.

The Duke of Sussex's explosive memoir Spare hit UK bookshelves this week after a series of bombshells were leaked when the Spanish version was released in Spain early.

In the book, Harry says Paul Burrell was “milking” his mum's death for money when he penned A Royal Duty in 2003, adding that it “made my blood boil”.

Mr Burrell, who Harry does not name in the autobiography, drew criticism from the royal family at the time when he released the book about his former boss Diana.

Paul Burrell seen at the ITV Studios in 2017 (GC Images)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Awards Gala in New York (PA)

A statement issued by the brothers from Clarence House accused Mr Burrell of “a cold and overt betrayal”.

In response, Mr Burrell welcomed the suggestion of meeting with the princes to justify his book and tell them about parts of their mother’s life they had not witnessed, adding: “I’d love to give them a piece of my mind.”

In his memoir Spare, Harry describes how he learned of the book when he was working as an unpaid farmhand in Australia aged 19 after leaving Eton.

He writes that he received a package from Buckingham Palace, which was full of memos from the Palace communications team about “a delicate matter”.

Prince Harry said Diana's former butler was 'milking' her death for money (CBS NEWS)

He said: "Mummy’s former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing.

“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.”

Prince Harry during an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby (PA)

Harry writes that he wanted to fly home to “confront” Mr Burrell but Charles and William talked him out of it, saying all they could do was “issue a united condemnation”.

The duke also claims that he had “nothing to do with the drafting” of the Clarence House statement and that he would have “gone much further”.

On a meeting with Mr Burrell, Harry wrote: “He wanted to give us a piece of his mind?”

Harry said he “anxiously” waited for the meeting but it never happened, writing: “I didn’t know why; I presume the Palace quashed it. I told myself: Shame.

“I thought of that man as the one errant steer that got away that summer.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.