Prince Harry’s memoir Spare was full of allegations and revelations that shocked the world about him, his family and those who surrounded him. From stories about his frostbitten penis to claims that Prince William and Kate Middleton were involved in him wearing a Nazi costume to a party, there have been some wild stories to come out of the book. And while the prince thought the palace would undermine his Spare efforts, they didn’t, for the most part. This is because now, Princess Diana’s former butler is speaking out about his thoughts on the Duke of Sussex's book and being referred to as "the butler."
Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, recently spoke out about his feelings reading Spare and it sounds like he was among those who said they felt hurt by Prince Harry’s memoir. He explained that something had “annoyed” him “intensely” about the book, telling Marie Claire that Harry should have known better.
I was really upset, really upset [by] the fact that he referred to me as 'the butler,' 'mummy’s butler.' Well, mummy’s butler was called Paul, Harry, and you knew me, all your life you’ve known me as Paul.
The former footman worked for Queen Elizabeth before working with Princess Diana for a decade, until she died in 1997. Burrell continued, explaining that while working for the family, the Duke of Sussex had never referred to him as his butler, and he didn’t understand the sudden shift. He said:
He had never known me as 'the butler' so why suddenly has there been a shift only recently, a shift to being called the butler? Suddenly I’m sort of being dismissed by this petulant prince as irrelevant because he says my tell-all book told nothing.
The books Burrell refers to are 2000’s A Royal Duty -- which is his own memoir -- and 2006’s The Way We Were: Remembering Diana, a book he wrote based on his experiences working with the Royal Family.
Earlier this month, the former staff member also spoke out against the book, making it clear while talking to Express that he was he does not like who Prince Harry has become. He explained:
What I see now is an angry, petulant, privileged prince who is constantly blaming other people and not taking accountability on his part.
It’s clear Burrell was not impressed by the prince and Spare overall and was flustered by Prince Harry not referring to him by name.
Also, following the release of Harry & Meghan (which can be watched with a Netflix subscription) and Prince Harry’s 60 Minutes interview, along with other major appearances on United States-based talk shows he’s revealed a lot that has seemingly had a negative impact on Prince William, Kate Middleton and the Royal Family.
As of right now, no one from the Royal Family has commented on the book, however, Paul Burrell made it clear that as a former employee of the palace, he’s not OK with Spare.
