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[h3]A day trip to see the Changing of the Guards with his parents at the age of twelve sparked off Paul Burrell’s ambition to work for the Royal Family. Six years later he achieved that goal after attending a college course in Buxton, which eventually landed him a job at the palace in 1976.[/h3]

The son of a Derbyshire lorry driver, Burrell first entered the limelight thanks to his position as [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/324:0/Diana_Spencer.htm]Lady Diana Spencer’s[/urlnew] butler in the early 80’s.

His good looks and charming, if not obsequious, manner soon garnered him his own fan base and entry into celebrity magazines.

In 1984 he married Maria, a co-employee of the royal household and maid to [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/494:0/Prince_Phillip_Philippos_Mountbatten.htm]Prince Philip[/urlnew]. Four years later the couple moved to work at Highgrove and had two sons who also became friends with [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/1388:0/Prince_Charles.htm]Prince Charles[/urlnew] and Lady Diana's own children.

Throughout the years, and particularly during the much publicised marriage spats between Diana and Prince Charles, Paul remained a loyal confidant to the princess. Diana often referred to him as her ‘rock’ and once said that he was the only thing she wanted to salvage from her broken marriage.

However, it was the tragic car accident in Paris on the 31st August 1997, resulting in the death of the princess and close friend Dodi Fayed, that propelled the self-effacing Burrell under the spotlight of new celebrity status.

Months after Diana's burial, the Queen awarded him the Royal Victorian Medal for 21 years of service to the royal family. He immediately took on an honorary role of Diana's protector in image and memory, and was appointed a member of the committee for the Diana Memorial Fund.

In 1999, after having been bombarded with offers to work for movie stars he penned ‘Entertaining With Style’ - a tome utilising his royal know-how and connections. He also joined Channel 5 to present royal gossip and cookery on the programme Open House.

But if Mr Burrell’s resignation from the memorial fund in 1998 had been seen as an isolated hiccup in an otherwise charmed life, the arrival of the new Millennium saw his glamorous lifestyle turned upside down in the most unexpected way imaginable.
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From being lauded as the late Diana’s confidante to the privilege of dressing her body after her tragic death, the former royal butler was soon to experience a monumental backlash in the form of humiliating accusations of theft, betrayal and the threat of imprisonment.

In January 2001, Burrell’s world took on nightmare proportions when he was arrested during a dawn raid at his Cheshire home and accused of stealing hundreds of items from the late Diana’s estate.

A highly publicised court case at Bow Street magistrates in London saw him fight for his innocence against an onslaught of police accusations and lurid press stories relating to his sex life. The greatest indignity was perhaps his public rejection from the royal household, particularly by Prince Charles and his young sons, after years of close association.

Charged with stealing 342 possessions worth £5m belonging to Diana, Prince Charles and [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/182:0/Prince_William_Mountbatten-Windsor.htm]Prince William[/urlnew], Burrell was eventually remanded on bail in August 2001.

His solicitor, Andrew Shaw, revealed at the time that Lady Diana had placed items with the former butler because she had trusted him more than professional advisors. Shaw declared the court proceedings a ‘trophy trial’ and stated that the police had charged his client before he could explain why the items were in his possession.

The ongoing trial saw an emotionally drained Burrell pursued by a media scrum and his character reviled in the tabloids. Often shaken by events at court, he was also targeted by an angry member of the public who was eventually restrained by police officers.

After a gruelling year, during which Burrell’s brother Graham was also arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen goods, the once favoured retainer vigorously maintained his innocence.

The case, temporarily postponed for the [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/495:0/Elizabeth_Alexandra_Mary_Windsor_-_Queen_Elizabeth_II.htm]Queen’s[/urlnew] Jubilee celebrations, eventually entered a second trial in October 2002 after the original jury was discharged for legal reasons.
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Just over two weeks later the second trial dramatically collapsed on Friday November 1st 2002, when it was revealed that Burrell had told the Queen he was keeping some of Diana’s possessions. He was acquitted on all charges. Later he sobbed in the arms of his defence lawyer. The trial was estimated to have cost £1.5m.

The police were accused of having been too quick to press charges and failing to make any enquiries into the alleged private audience Mr Burrell had with the Queen.

With his credibility restored, defence lawyer Mr Shaw stated that “Mr Burrell remains totally loyal to Diana Princess of Wales and the Queen, who he has served in a personal capacity for ten years”

Despite the initial accusations and the trial having taken place over a two-year period, Buckingham Palace stated that the Queen had not been briefed on either Mr Burrell’s defence case or on the prosecution against him.

Burrell declared that the trial and public humiliation had pushed him to the brink of suicide, drove his family to hell and back and prompted him to write a book to “put the record straight”

Shortly after the sensational trial collapse at the Old Bailey, he sold his story to the Daily Mirror newspaper for £300,000. A series of international TV interviews followed including a guest spot on the Larry King show and a misjudged inclusion as a contestant on ITV’s Reality TV show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2004.

‘A Royal Duty’ first appeared on the bookshelves in 2003. Burrell maintained that it was a ‘loving tribute’ and not an act of revenge despite Princes William and [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/810:0/Prince_Harry.htm]Harry [/urlnew]describing the publication as ‘deeply painful’.

The much publicised book, which revealed royal trivia including details of what the Queen ate for breakfast as well as more controversial snippets of Diana’s life, has since been updated with new material.

Paul Burrell continues to guest at social events and host ‘dining experiences’ sharing his knowledge from his years in the Royal Household.

Richard Bevan
Paul Burrell biography



- Many of the items listed as having been reportedly stolen from Princess Diana would hardly fetch a decent price at a car boot sale. The cache comprised of Tina Turner CD’s, vinyl records and signed celebrity photographs from the likes of model Claudia Schiffer and Baywatch star David Hasselhoff!
Paul Burrell biography




Paul Burrell biography

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