What the royal butler saw

Paul Burrell - In His Own Words Theatre Royal, London WC2

Custodian of the flame or the most loathed man in England? Paul Burrell really is the best type of panto villain. And now he makes his theatre debut, with a one-man show based on his memoir, A Royal Duty .

Burrell is not unaware of the irony. Previously, he'd have been relegated to the back of the royal box ('You try serving seven courses in 20 minutes,' he observes dryly), but tonight he's centre stage, he's spilling the beans about Camilla, conspiracy theories and why Chas will never be king - 'It would cost them a lot of money to change the stamps for a short reign.'

True, the theatre is a third full (Burrell cancelled two of his Broadway dates last week), but he's a surprisingly polished performer. In dark suit and open-necked shirt, he resembles a mini-me Tom Hanks. Talking about his childhood in working-class Buxton, he's funny and modest and the anecdotes about royal service - maids hiding in cupboards when the Queen walks past - are hilarious. This is an evening rich in royal madness. True, there's something queasy about butler-turned-informer (how foolish were Liz and Phil not to pay him off?), but we are gripped.

It's when he gets on to his 'special role' with Di that vanity trips him up. According to Burrell, he chose her wardrobe, introduced her to the Church of Rome, even monitored her fertility. And the moment where he sits in reverie, as Di's beloved Rachmaninov floods the theatre, is buttock-clenchingly embarrassing.