Former royal butler Paul Burrell said in an interview and a new memoir that he believes Meghan Markle wanted a "starring role" within the British royal family and that the downfall of her marriage to Prince Harry is "inevitable." Burrell made the comments in a conversation on the Daily Mail Royals YouTube channel and in excerpts from his book, The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana.
Burrell, who served in royal households for decades, told the Daily Mail that Meghan did not view herself as a "supporting actress" but wanted celebrity status. He said that status would always be secondary to the future queen, Catherine, and that Meghan's American background and discomfort with royal protocol contributed to a clash of cultures within the marriage.
"I don't think Meghan ever considered being a supporting actress," Burrell said in the interview. "I think she wanted to be a star." In his book, he wrote that Meghan "wanted the star but she would always have second billing to the future Queen Catherine," and that she "did not want to conform to the rules of the House of Windsor."
Burrell also predicted that the marriage between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not hold. "I think the two cultures which came together in the marriage of Harry and Meghan, there is a fault line down the middle of it and I feel that will crack one day," he said. He described Harry's adjustment to life in Montecito, California, and questioned what role the prince would pursue away from the daily routines of royal life.
Expanding on those remarks, Burrell suggested that as Meghan's media profile grows through commercial projects, including work with streaming platforms that he referenced, divergent ambitions could deepen tensions. He speculated that she could move into larger commercial ventures or even politics, asking rhetorically whether she might "become governor of California." Burrell framed those comments as his own predictions and opinions.
Burrell's account draws on a long career in royal service. He began as a footman to Queen Elizabeth II in 1976, became butler to Charles and Diana in 1987, and served exclusively as Princess Diana's butler from 1992 until her death in 1997. He has previously published books about his experiences and has been a frequent commentator on royal affairs.
The duke and duchess married on May 19, 2018, and over subsequent years their relationship with the royal household has been the subject of intense media and public scrutiny. In 2020 the couple announced they would step back from senior royal duties and later settled in California. They have pursued media projects and public engagements since leaving senior roles in the royal family.
Representatives for the Sussexes did not respond to a request for comment through the Daily Mail's published interview. The Daily Mail posted the interview on its Royals channel and promoted excerpts from Burrell's book, which is being marketed with recollections of his service to senior members of the royal household.
Burrell's descriptions and predictions are personal observations informed by his career inside the royal household. They add to a longstanding public debate about how celebrity, modern media careers and traditional royal protocol intersect for members of the monarchy who pursue roles outside the institution. Analysts, royal correspondents and the couple themselves have offered differing accounts over time of the causes and consequences of their public relationship and departure from senior royal duties.
The interview and book come amid continued public interest in the private lives of the duke and duchess and in how contemporary pressures — from media attention to commercial opportunity — shape the roles of royals who step beyond established conventions. Burrell's memoir and his comments in the Daily Mail interview present one insider perspective on those dynamics, reflecting his view of how cultural differences and celebrity ambitions might affect the future of the Sussex marriage.