My trial at the Old Bailey was set for Monday 14 October 2002. I was a nervous wreck as I heard the charges read out. To each count I replied: ‘Not guilty.’
Over and over the Crown Prosecution Service argued that I had not told anyone I was taking items for safekeeping. I wanted to scream: ‘I had! I had!’ It was so incredibly frustrating to have to listen to falsehoods about me.
The year before, on 16 August 2001, I had been charged with stealing 315 items from the estate of my late employer Diana, Princess of Wales, six items from Prince Charles and 21 items from Prince William.
If I was found guilty, I would serve up to five years in jail.
The police had torn my home apart, like a burglary in reverse. Items that Princess Diana and Prince Charles had given me and my family over the years were all taken away, including clothes, shoes and handbags that Diana had gifted to my wife Maria and a writing bureau she had given one of my sons.
In January that year, shortly after the police raid, one of Prince Charles’s advisers suggested that I write a letter to him explaining why the property was in my house, as a ‘step to sorting this out’.
My solicitor and I wrote to the Prince saying my intentions were honourable. We said that I had been entrusted by the Princess to be the caretaker of sensitive items, as well as there being many items which were gifts. I begged for a meeting to straighten out the confusion.
But Prince Charles did not hear my pleas. The letter was read by St James’s Palace, but not by Charles himself.
This was a missed opportunity, as the prosecution would go on to build their case on the theory that I had not told anyone of my intention to remove items from Kensington Palace for ‘safekeeping’. But this was incorrect.
On 16 August 2001, Paul Burrell was charged with stealing 315 items from the estate of my late employer Diana, Princess of Wales, six from Prince Charles and 21 from Prince William
Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, arriving at the Old Bailey for the trial in October 2002.
Not only had I told Charles in that letter, I also wrote to William in April 2001 while he was on a gap year, telling him the same thing. And I had first mentioned it to the Queen, as I’ll later explain, shortly after Diana’s death, in December 1997.
In the months following Diana’s death I spent my days cataloguing and packing away every item in the Princess’s world.
But by December of that year, 1997, I was feeling alone and vulnerable. I was worried.
First, that after I had finished the packing and sorting, I would be homeless and unemployed, after years of living and working at Kensington Palace. And second, I was concerned that not enough was being done to protect Diana’s legacy. In fact, I felt that it was at risk of being destroyed.
‘Who could I turn to?’ I wrote in my diary. ‘Who would listen?’
There was only one answer: Her Majesty the Queen. I rang her loyal right-hand man, Paul Whybrew, known affectionately to everybody at Buckingham Palace as Tall Paul, and asked if I could see her.
The answer came back the next day: ‘The Queen will be delighted to see you at 2pm on Friday, December 19.’
Much later, Paul told me I was the topic of conversation that evening. She was dining alone and as he served her candle-lit dinner she said: ‘I am not surprised to hear from Paul. I feel very sorry for him.’
The conversation that follows is part of a contemporaneous note of my meeting with the Queen. It is a first-hand recollection of what she said to me.
At approximately 1.30pm on December 19 I walked down Buckingham Palace Road with mixed emotions of nerves and excitement.
It had been ten years since I had seen the Queen. I entered the side door of the Palace.
The policemen were friendly and chatty. ‘You know your way,’ they said. I have never recounted much of my conversation with the Queen that day, but I now feel the time is right. It sheds a light on her character. I was concerned that the Queen had no idea what was happening inside Kensington Palace.
That room in Buckingham Palace was familiar to me. The decor – a mix of grey and salmon pink – was exactly the same. Everything was in the same place. Her pile of Telegraph crosswords, her dog treats, her magazines.
The trial came to a premature end because of the sudden involvement of The Queen, who said she had been told Paul had taken documents for safekeeping
The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles and Paul Burrell attend Royal Ascot in 1987
There she stood, a little older, a little greyer, wearing a blue dress, three rows of pearls and a huge heart-shaped diamond brooch. She approached me, shook my hand and smiled.
‘Hello, Paul. How good of you to come and see me.’ She inspected me over her half-rimmed spectacles. I had changed, too, over the past ten years.
‘It’s a very strange business,’ the Queen said, opening the conversation. ‘Has anyone been to see you at the apartment?’ she asked.
‘Oh, William and Harry have,’ I told her. ‘They have been to see what they would like to furnish their new apartment at York House.
‘At the moment they are fighting over a giant stuffed hippo. The huge plasma television has been very popular with both boys. William was very practical in his choices, Your Majesty, and interested in furnishings.’
‘Yes, he is very practical,’ she said. ‘I am pleased that he has addressed that. It’s so unsettling for William and Harry and it will be good for them to be surrounded by familiar things.’
I told the Queen I was very grateful to have been included in so many decisions since the Princess’s death, but that I had grave concerns.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘What would they be?’ There was so much that I wanted to tell her.
‘Well, the family have been through all the Princess’s personal belongings and have taken away a great deal of her property, much of which I believe William and Harry should have.
‘I was asked to bring down her monogrammed luggage which was filled with her clothes, and Mrs Shand Kydd [Frances, Diana’s mother] sits on the Princess’s settee sorting through papers and shredding personal correspondence, including letters from you. That shredding machine is smoking, Your Majesty!’
The Queen laughed out loud.
I continued: ‘So I have taken it upon myself to rescue documents which I think are important. I could not stand by and watch history be erased or the Princess’s world changed. She had fought so hard for the little privacy that she had and I have kept safe the personal items which she entrusted to me and were locked in my filing cabinet in my pantry.’
The Queen raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
‘Frances has rung me on occasion,’ she then said. ‘May I say that you were very brave to be in, Your Majesty,’ I replied.
The Queen chuckled. ‘But I couldn’t always understand what she was saying as she was so drunk.’
‘Well, she has woorked her way through most of the Princess’s Montrachet [Chardonnay wine],’ I said.
The Queen wasn’t finished yet.
‘I have known that family for a very long time. They are quite extraordinary. I remember when Frances left Johnny and ran off to Australia, leaving the children behind.
‘That was the first time that I had seen a family break apart. It was so sad and destructive.’
In the run up to his trial, Paul Burrell writes that the only person he felt he could turn to was the Queen
The Queen shook her head. She was deep in thought.
‘It’s all such a dreadful business. Diana was such a complex and complicated person. What she did best of all is connect with people. She was at home with people less fortunate, people wanting. She had an affinity with people.
‘She could talk to anyone and often told me that she enjoyed that.’
She continued: ‘I remember walking with the dogs on the hillside at Balmoral when I was much fitter and I bumped into Charles walking alone.
‘He had tears in his eyes. “What on earth is wrong?” I asked him. He replied, “Oh, it’s Diana. She is so impossible at times. I just don’t understand her.”
‘So, Paul, even in those early days, life was difficult.’
I realised that I was listening to the confessions of a queen and that I was stepping into very personal territory.
Our Queen was opening up to me like never before.
I needed to respond.
‘Your Majesty, can I just tell you that the Princess always had a place in her heart for the Prince of Wales.
‘As I have been packing away her life at Kensington Palace, I have seen so many pictures of them all as a family and many of just the boys and their father.
‘If she had been a bitter woman then she would have destroyed them or cut his face out of them.’ The Queen smiled, and understood. We talked of many things that afternoon.
We talked of the dreadful day Diana died, and what I witnessed in Paris before the arrival of the Prince of Wales and Diana’s sisters. ‘It must have been awful for you,’ she said.
I talked of the many people with whom I had spoken and seen, at which point she offered me a stark warning: ‘Do be careful. There are forces at work in my country of which even I have no knowledge.’
I realised that the meeting was coming to an end.
The Queen had been incredibly warm, friendly and open. She approached her desk and pushed the button on her bell.
I could hear a faint buzz outside in the pantry. I knew that my audience was over.
Before Paul reappeared as if by magic, the Queen said: ‘Happy Christmas to you and Maria, and please keep in touch.’ I bowed, turned and left her sitting room.
I would never see her again. But that conversation changed the course of my life.
On Friday 25 October, 2002, while the trial continued, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles were en route to St Paul’s Cathedral for a memorial service for the victims of the Bali bombing. The conversation that ensued would prove critical to my trial.
The following Tuesday, Mrs Justice Rafferty informed the jury that there had been a delay and that the trial had been adjourned for the day. We were then told that the court would not be sitting for another two days. I was beside myself with worry.
When we arrived at the Old Bailey on All Saints’ Day for the trial to restart, we heard that ‘something was happening, and it was big’. The prosecution barrister, William Boyce, rose to his feet.
‘My lady, it has been an important part of the prosecution case that there was no evidence that Mr Burrell informed anyone that he was holding any property belonging to the executors of the estate of Diana, Princess of Wales,’ he said. ‘On Monday of this week, the prosecution was informed by the police that during a private meeting with the Queen in the weeks following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Mr Burrell mentioned…’
I don’t think I took in the rest of what he said. But it turned out that during the journey to the Bali bombing memorial service, the Duke of Edinburgh had mentioned to Charles that the Queen had been told by me that I had taken documents for safekeeping.
Prince Charles informed his private secretary, who was able to confirm this account with the Queen. St James’s Palace then reported this ‘new evidence’ to Scotland Yard.
William Boyce finished by saying, ‘I invite the jury to find him not guilty.’ The judge smiled and said, ‘Mr Burrell, you are free to go.’ The Queen had saved me.
Seven years ago I stood on Castle Hill in Windsor at the wedding of Prince Harry, the boy I had watched grow up, and his future wife, Meghan. The nation rejoiced and embraced the fairy tale.
We were all happy for Harry, especially me, having witnessed his pain after the death of his mother first-hand. Meghan seemed to have saved him.
But how could it have gone so horribly wrong? And how did the couple squander so much goodwill from the Royal Family and the nation so quickly?
In the early days of their engagement, Harry and Meghan were given Nottingham Cottage, a rose-covered, one-level house with two bedrooms, a sitting room and a kitchen, which faced the front door of his mother’s apartments at Kensington Palace.
It was the home of William and Kate in the early days of their marriage as well as that of Princess Diana’s sister and her husband, who was a private secretary to the Queen, and nestled alongside Kent Cottage, a similar residence which was once the home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. It was small but cosy and enough for a couple embarking on a journey through life.
The fairy-tale cottage wasn’t a royal residence though, as Meghan discovered when she and Harry were invited to dinner with Harry’s brother and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their home, apartment 1A in Kensington Palace.
This was the former residence of Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, and was very much a palace.
Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate pictured in 2018. Perhaps the problem, Paul suggests, was that Meghan would always have second billing to the future Queen Catherine
There is no doubt in my mind that the Queen didn’t want Harry and Meghan to leave, writes Paul Burrell
They even had a ballroom. The Cambridges had a corner of the state apartments so that they could entertain. Only the black and white tiles in the hallway remained from Princess Margaret’s original interior decoration; it had been entirely refurbished.
It was a far cry from the two-bedroom cottage only 200 yards away. This may be where the trouble began.
Perhaps the problem was that Meghan would always have second billing to the future Queen Catherine. Being American, she struggled to understand the culture of the Royal establishment with its rules and protocols.
But I was shocked and saddened to hear that they were to leave the Royal Family in January 2020. Diana would have wanted Harry to stay to protect and defend his brother and be his wingman all the way to the throne.
If only she had been here to advise her second son, history may have been different. They could have had it all.
The Queen was of the same opinion. She wanted them to stay but she was born into an Edwardian court and was nearly 60 years older than Harry. Her Majesty had lived in a different world from her grandson. How could the Queen understand all of Harry’s problems? She couldn’t.
They did, however, have a special relationship – particularly because Harry was something of a joker.
He didn’t always adhere to protocol. Everyone was very stiff and starchy around the Queen, which she disliked, but he was relaxed and funny.
Everybody else was too busy standing upright and bowing whereas Harry would say, ‘oh, Granny, how are you?’ and he would grab her hand. She was very fond of her grandson. The Queen loved the warmth and tactile presence that Harry brought into her life.
There is no doubt in my mind that she didn’t want Harry and Meghan to leave.
She did not want ‘Megxit’ as it was dubbed, as she knew they would be estranged from her world. The Queen even said to Meghan: ‘You can go back to acting if you want to.’ She was willing to bend the rules for Meghan, and offered to talk to her whenever she had any problems.
Who could forget that it was the Queen who took Meghan on her first engagement and showed her the ropes to make sure she settled into Royal life?
Harry is now in an exile of his own making.
The Queen and Meghan during a ceremony to open the Mersey Gateway Bridge in 2018. It was Meghan’s first public engagement
The Queen could not understand all of Harry’s problems but they did, however, have a special relationship – particularly because Harry was something of a joker, says Paul Burrell
He has become an American resident and has severed links with the Royal Family, the crown and the country. His wife is American, his children are American – so perhaps he should be American too.
It is such a shame because William and Harry with their wives were the ‘Fab Four’ and certainly for a time Harry and Meghan were ‘the golden couple’. They had everything.
I had Harry marked down for Governor General of Australia or Canada and then they could have lived in their own royal domain. It would have been as if they were king and queen in their own country and they could have travelled the world for their own causes.
I think the problems came partially from Meghan being American. It is a different culture, different lifestyle and she had different goals. In the end it really boils down to money. As royals, they could never be fabulously wealthy like the friends they keep, such as Tyler Perry, although they could be fabulously famous. They could never fulfil all of their dreams by being inside the Royal Family. So they thought that they could make a life outside of it and make their own rules where they wouldn’t have to answer to anyone.
But has it worked? I’m not convinced that they have got the wealth or the celebrity status that they wanted and all they seem to do is trade on their royal connection – the very thing that they wanted to get away from.
It’s a dichotomy. They’re in a very strange situation. If they are not royal, they have no unique selling point; they need to be royal to retain their value – a total contradiction.
Fortunately, the Queen did get to meet Prince Harry’s children; Prince Archie who was born in May 2019, and Princess Lilibet who was born in June 2021.
It was Lilibet’s first birthday on the Saturday of the weekend of the Platinum Jubilee celebration in June 2022 and Netflix was in tow at Frogmore Cottage to record the event.
Harry and Meghan invited the Queen and all the younger members of the family to a tea party. Her Majesty declined, instead inviting them to tea in the Oak Room in Windsor Castle without the Netflix crew.
The rest of the Royal Family were congregating for a buffet tea when the Sussexes arrived. They walked up to Windsor Castle, went through the dog door and up the spiral staircase into the Queen’s apartment.
Of course Harry would claim later that he ‘wasn’t able to get to the Queen’ but he knew how to reach her whenever he wanted to see her. He also had a secret weapon. Unbeknown to his father or brother, Harry had sent Granny a mobile phone with the intention of having a secure line direct to the CEO of the family firm, bypassing not just his family but all her courtiers.
When it arrived she said: ‘What am I supposed to do with it?’
After all, the monarch couldn’t be expected to answer it whenever it rang. Imagine it going off in her handbag while she was in a meeting with a head of state or opening Parliament.
So that mobile phone went in the top drawer of a servant’s desk at the end of the long green corridor alongside a phone from Prince Andrew, who’d had a similar plan. But even without her mobile phone, the Queen did get to see Harry and Meghan and her great-grandchildren.
When Harry and Meghan appeared in the Oak Room the family parted like the Red Sea so that the Sussexes could take centre stage with the Queen. Some members of the family left the room in disgust and wouldn’t return until they had left 30 minutes later.
The Queen played with the children and chatted with Harry and Meghan. She thought everything was fine but little did she know.
On the Sunday of the weekend of the Platinum Jubilee celebration, the Queen had arranged for the chef to make her favourite chocolate cake, a Sachertorte, with one candle on top for Lilibet’s birthday. She had hoped that her favourite grandson and his wife would join her for tea.
But she was left disappointed when she was told they had left already. It might have been a breakdown in communication, that Harry and Meghan weren’t aware of her plans.
It’s a shame the tea didn’t happen as Meghan never saw the Queen again – while Harry saw her next on her deathbed.
Paul carries one of the Queen’s corgis off the Royal plane after the family returned from Balmoral one summer
While I always felt like I was living the dream being one of the Queen’s footmen, it was not an easy job by any means.
My first duty of the day was to walk the corgis at 7am.
I always felt guilty for not picking up the ‘corgi mess’ – I didn’t have time. The gardeners must have cursed me as I left their immaculate lawn littered with dog poo.
Like many animal lovers, the Queen liked having her dogs in the bedroom – even in bed with her. Prince Philip, who did share a bed with his wife, was not so keen and would mumble about ‘those bloody dogs’, adding: ‘I don’t know why you have to have so many,’ to which the Queen would respond: ‘But darling, they are so collectable.’
The Queen slept in a snood
The Queen had to change her clothes regularly. She would get up and put one dress on, change for an engagement, get back into her original dress on her return and into another one for the next engagement. She would always change again for dinner.
She never bathed in the morning; she was of a generation who only ever bathed in the evening.
And she never showered, whereas Prince Philip preferred to shower.
Every Monday afternoon on her return from Windsor to Buckingham Palace, her hairdresser, Mr Charles, would be waiting to give the Queen her weekly shampoo and set.
Her Majesty slept in a snood to keep her hair in place.
Adapted from The Royal Insider by Paul Burrell (Sphere, £25), to be published 11 September. © Paul Burrell 2025. To order a copy for £21.25 (offer valid to 20/09/25; UK P&P free on orders over £25) go to www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
