Royal family feared trial of Diana’s butler Paul Burrell would expose secrets

01 October 2023 , 20:37

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The famous trial collapsed after the Queen intervened (Image: STEVE ALLEN)

The scale of Government concern about the trial of Princess Diana’s butler Paul Burrell over the alleged theft of her possessions has been revealed in a leaked document.

Mr Burrell went on trial in 2002 on theft charges relating to 310 items worth £4.5million that had belonged to the late Princess of Wales. But the Old Bailey trial collapsed after the Queen recalled that he had told her he was keeping some of Diana's possessions.

King Charles had expressed his concerns within the Royal Household about the embarrassment likely to be caused to his sons William and Harry and potential revelations about Diana's private life. Now a confidential letter reveals the discussions held by senior Government and Royal figures, including Cabinet Secretary Sir Richard Wilson and Sir Robin Janvrin, the Queen's Private Secretary, over the trial.

Paul Burrell was Princess Diana's butler (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Paul Burrell kept some of Princess Diana's possessions (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Written by David Brummell, the most senior legal advisor to the then Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, it reveals that the high-level talks had agreed on the “potential for damaging criticism if there was inappropriate interference [in the case] from any source”. The letter also reveals that prior to the trial, Charles received advice from Sir Stephen Lamport, his Private Secretary, that “related to the issue of the extent to which the views of the victims of a theft are relevant to the prosecution decision”.

The conclusion reached was that “while the views of the victim's views may properly be taken into account... these cannot be determinative of a decision whether or not to prosecute”. The phrasing suggests that members of the Royal Family were indicating their preference for no action to be taken against Mr Burrell. Earlier this year, Harry admitted to calling Mr Burrell a “two-face s***”who was “attention-seeking and self-interested”.

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