Princess Diana’s butler is accusing Prince Harry of making defamatory statements, according to Newsweek. Paul Burrell worked for the late princess from 1987 to 1997, the year of her fatal car crash. After her death, Burrell was accused of stealing and selling her personal items, a claim that led to a police raid on his home in 2001.
The scandal made its way to court but was stopped after Queen Elizabeth II intervened. She reportedly accepted Burrell’s claim that he had taken some of the items for safekeeping. In 2002, police also surmised that items from Diana that surfaced on the open market were because of Burrell’s actions. But Buckingham Palace released a statement shortly after the trial saying that there was no evidence in court to confirm the evidence from the police that Burrell was the source of the items being sold.
However, Harry does not believe that he was safekeeping the items and is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) publishers for facilitating the numerous interviews Burrell was giving them about his mother.
Burrell published his memoir of his life in the process, much to the ire of both princes. He included intimate details about Diana, especially her romantic encounters. Harry said that his mother would have expected privacy in her death and expressed his disapproval over how Burrell had been dealing with the event. When giving witness testimony, he reiterated that Burrell had sold Diana’s items.
Harry and William released a joint statement following the memoir, saying that the revelations bring pain to them and the family. They express that they are in disbelief that someone like him, who was “entrusted with so much,” would abuse his power.
Burrell denies the allegations and told GB News that for two decades he has tried to get away from the error of the judicial system accusing him of something he did not do.
