Princess Diana’s Former Butler Says Prince Harry ‘Always Lived in Prince William’s Shadow’
Princess Diana’s butler shared his thoughts about how Prince Harry felt like the spare because he “always lived in Prince William’s shadow.” According to the former butler, Harry was raised hearing about how his brother would someday be king.
Former royal butler agrees that Prince Harry felt like he lived in Prince William’s shadow
Diana’s former royal butler Paul Burrell weighed in on Prince Harry’s belief that he felt like he was a spare.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo.com, Burrell explained, “Harry understood his brother would one day be king because Harry listened to people whispering in William’s ear all his childhood years, ‘one day, you’re going to be king, you have to sit up straight because you’re going to be king, you have to know how to eat properly with a knife and fork because you’re going to be king.’”
The former butler continued, “All these lessons were being given to William in the nursery with Harry watching. So how do you think Harry felt as a child growing up?”
Burrell added, “And I agree with what I have heard he says in his book, he lived in his brother’s shadow but his mother always knew that and I thought Harry embraced the fact he would always be number two in line and be there to support his brother.”
Princess Diana wanted her sons to be ‘inseparable’
Burrell said it was Diana’s hope that her sons would support each other and be “inseparable.”
Burrell noted that Princess Diana thought Harry would always be a part of William’s life. “His mother’s vision was that the two of them would be inseparable, they would grow together and be two princes, one would be king one day but the prince supporting the king,” he explained.
The former butler added, “That’s what she felt and thought. That was Harry’s path, he never had a roadmap like William had because William always knew where he was headed. Harry followed his trail.”
Prince Harry accused the former butler of milking Diana’s tragedy for money
In his memoir Spare, Harry said it “made his blood boil” when Burrell released a book in 2003 about the time he spent with Diana. At the time, Prince Harry and Prince William called the book “a cold and overt betrayal.”
“Mummy’s former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing,” Prince Harry wrote in his book. “It was merely one man’s self-justifying, self-centering version of events. My mother once called this butler a dear friend, and trusted him implicitly. We did too. Now this.”
Prince Harry added, “He was milking her disappearance for money. It made my blood boil.”
During an appearance on the Australian show Sunrise, Burrell said he believed Harry changed since he knew him.
“I first met him when he was in his mummy’s tummy all those years ago and Princess Diana took her hand and placed it on her tummy, I felt him kick,” Burrell said. “I’ve known him all his life. I don’t recognize the young man I see today. That’s not the boy that I knew. Something’s changed fundamentally.”
