15 January 2023 , 23:49
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Princess Diana's former butler has said that Prince Harry used to struggle with the fact his brother Prince William was fed more sausages than him, claiming it gave an early insight into the competitive dynamic between the two royals.
Paul Burrell, 64, recalled that Harry would say: “How come he gets three?” when his brother was served more bangers than him at the dinner table.
The nanny then would allegedly reply: “William needs filling up more than you. He’s going to be king one day.”
Burrell believes that these types of remarks sparked early tensions between the brothers.
“When I look back now, I think maybe I was glimpsing the dynamic at play," he said.
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“One time I saw the nanny give William three sausages at breakfast and Harry had two.
“And Harry would look at his plate and say, how come he gets three? And I only get two?”
Prince Harry felt he was in the shadow of his brother from a young age, the royal butler claimed (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)When the nanny replied with her remark about William becoming King, Harry "would fall quiet and suck it up", Burrell added, "but that’s what he had to contend with, even in his own home".
Burrell believes that much of Harry's recent behaviour stemmed from growing up in an environment where he constantly had to play second fiddle to William.
Burrell recalls Harry often being told to 'pipe down' as a child (Getty Images)He added that Diana pleaded with Charles not to send Harry to Eton, out of concern that he would be constantly compared to his older brother - but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
Burrell claimed that Harry tackled the problem of competing with his brother by becoming more boisterous and loud.
“William would be measured and stoic, and sort of take everything in. But not Harry. He would have to be the clown, he had to be noticed," he said.
Paul Burrell worked as Diana's butler for a decade (Rex Features)Burrell said that Harry was often told to be quiet due to his behaviour as a child, he told The Sun.
This, he said, was happening all over again as the Prince goes public with his grievances.
"Often I’d hear the princess shout across the room, ‘Shhhh, Harry, be quiet,'" he said.
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“And I’ve heard those words in the last few days. Harry needs to be quiet, he needs to pipe down.”
The butler also recalled an incident when Prince William had an outburst and said he didn't want to King.
“Harry piped up to say he would do it instead. Diana laughed and said, ‘That’d be funny. You’d be Good King Harry'," Burrell said.
While he sympathised with Harry, given his difficult experiences as a child, Burrell believed that he went too far in his criticisms of his family, saying he didn't recognise him anymore.
“He’s clearly hurt and angry at being ‘the spare’ and so he’s lashing out from that place," he said.
Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' became the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, selling 1.43 million copies during its first day on sale in the UK, US, and Canada.
It almost doubled the previous record - Barack Obama's 'A Promised Land', which sold 887,000 copies on its release day.