Princes William and Harry had a secret meeting with Diana's butler before Meghan engagement
28 May 2023, 17:48
William and Harry had a secret meeting with their mother Diana's butler Paul Burrell before announcing the latter's engagement to Meghan Markle, sources have claimed.
Burrell, 64, worked as a butler for the Princess of Wales for 10 years until her tragic death in 1997 and was previously reported to have not seen the princes since their mother's funeral.
A source told the Sun newspaper that the brothers held a secret summit with Burrell in 2017 before Harry announced his engagement to now-wife Meghan Markle.
The source reportedly described the meeting as "very low-key" and was spurred on by the pair wanting to speak with someone who "had been close to their mother" to understand Diana's life from his perspective.
"They asked to keep it all under wraps and he respected that," the source claimed.
"Paul was happy to tell them everything he knew and shed some light on their memories."
The meeting is made curiouser by the previous "betrayal" that the princes saw after the former footman released his book A Royal Duty which made several revelations about their late mother that they would have rather kept private.
Read More: Prince Harry loses High Court battle with Home Office over paying for police protection
Mummy's former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing,' he said.
'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.'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 latest leak about his private life will do nothing to calm the Duke of Sussex who is currently locked in a legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers over historical phone hacking of the prince.
A new book by royal correspondent Robert Jobson has also made revelations about the Duke.
It has been claimed in the book that removal of the Prince's Duke of Sussex title was discussed at the highest level of the royal court.
Charles himself was not "in favour' of taking away Harry's royal title, despite the discussions, and still has "enduring love for his son", even though they argue, and despite Charles' decision that Meghan should not go with her husband to Balmoral when the family gathered after the death of the Queen last September.
Palace insiders claim that Harry's demands that Meghan join him in Balmoral "did not go down well with the family" and "they were all shocked by his behaviour"
