William and Harry 'secretly met Diana's butler who shed light on memories'

27 May 2023 , 23:07

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Paul Burrell pictured with Princess Diana (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

William and Harry talked with Paul Burrell, Diana’s ex-butler, who “shed some light on their memories” in a secret meeting before the Duke of Sussex got married, reportedly said a royal source.

Mr Burrell is known to have been a confidante of Diana who she called her “rock” but he had a falling out with the two brothers following her death in 1997 over a book he wrote about their mother.

They felt that the ex-butler was milking his position to make money following Diana’s death by writing the book A Royal Duty where he talked about their friendship.

It had been thought that William and Harry had not spoken to Mr Burrell since her funeral in 1997 when they were aged 15 and 12 respectively.

But it is now claimed that the brothers met with Paul at Kensington Palace in 2017 a week before Harry announced he was getting married to Meghan Markle.

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William and Harry 'secretly met Diana's butler who shed light on memories'

William and Harry are claimed to have met with Paul Burrell in 2017 (Getty Images)

The two royals had wanted to meet with Mr Burrell to find out more about their mother and he answered all their questions, said The Sun’s royal source.

“It was a very low-key meeting but the brothers wanted to speak to someone who had been close to their mother," said the source.

“There were some aspects of her life they felt Paul could provide better clarity on. They asked to keep it all under wraps and he respected that. Paul was happy to tell them everything he knew and shed some light on their memories.”

Paul, who recently appeared on I'm A Celebrity: South Africa, has spoken of a desire to bring William and Harry back together after their falling out, saying it’s what Diana “would have desperately wanted”.

William and Harry are said to have asked Mr Burrell questions about their mother (Getty Images)

Meanwhile. Harry once again claimed Mr Burrell was "milking" his mother's death for money with his book about her in his controversial memoir Spare.

The Duke of Sussex claimed he first learned of the book while working as a farmhand in Australia aged 19 in 2003 after leaving Eton College.

Writing he'd received a package from Buckingham Palace, including a memo from the royal communications team concerning 'a delicate matter', he said: "Mummy's former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing. 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."

Paul spoke to the Mirror about Harry's accusations, saying he was 'saddened' by what he read.

He said: "(Harry) has discarded me, but he hasn't thought about all of those years that I spent with his mother, in private, loving her, caring for her, watching out for her.