Princess Diana’s Assistant Reveals What He Did the Night Before Her Funeral for Closure
Millions of people around the world were shocked when they heard the news that Princess Diana had died. It was almost as if time stood still for a moment on that late summer day when everyone first learned that she was killed following a car crash in Paris. In fact, many people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they found out the princess was dead.
Of course those closest to Diana had a hard time grappling with the reality of her death as well, including her personal butler and confidant, Paul Burrell. The princess’s former assistant recently revealed what it was like being in the royal household after the news of her death came down and what he felt he needed to do himself the night before her funeral.
Diana’s aide says others were ‘disoriented’ with grief but he knew what he had to do
Paul Burrell began working for the royal family when he was 18 years old and served as Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to the household of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. When they separated, Burrell served as Diana’s butler until her death.
He recalled how some other staffers who worked for the princess were understandably grief-stricken, but he did his very best to stay “focused.” Burrell made a call requesting that the night before his boss was laid to rest that Diana’s body be brought back to Kensington Palace to “spend time in a place that she had spent most of her life.”
Burrell recalled to Slingo: “Everybody around me was confused and disorientated, but after the initial grief, I was focused. I knew what I had to do … The night before the princess’s funeral I had a night vigil and stayed up with the princess. I lit all the candles I could find and asked the policeman to bring in flowers from outside. They brought them in and I arranged them in vases around the room and I stayed up talking to her all night.
“I took her address book and went through it from A to Z and talked about everyone because I knew them all. I thought that was the most appropriate way to end my service with her. The serenity and the calm of being with the princess is my overriding memory of that time.”
The princess’s former butler believes Diana was ‘the best queen we never had’
Following the princess’s death, Charles’ mistress (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles) was labeled public enemy No.1. But in the years since Diana’s passing much of the public did begin to warm up to her. However, Burrell doesn’t believe Camilla will ever be able to escape or ignore the love that still lives for Diana in Britain every day.
“[King] Charles and Camilla will never get away from Diana’s lifetime of love that people showed towards her,” the former butler opined, before adding, “I think the people in this country truly feel that Diana is the best queen we never had and it was her rightful place. I think a lot of people feel it’s not fair. They feel it’s not how this fairy tale should have ended and they are hanging on to the fact that she was a young mother and died so tragically.”
Burrell continued: “The other thing is the fact that our late [Queen Elizabeth II] did say that she wished Camilla to be known as the Queen Consort. I think Charles went to his mother and said, ‘If you say this people will believe it and take it on board because your good will is paramount. If you die and I say this, they will not accept it.’ Charles actually took it one step further and made and styled [Camilla] as queen in every way he could. I think that’s a problem for the general public, to see Camilla wearing a crown and being called queen.”
