Paul Burrell, a former footman and later butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, has told the Daily Mail that he always made sure Diana wore her seatbelt and again criticised Camilla, saying the duchess "will never be my queen." Burrell offered his version of events from the summer of 1997 and recounted Diana’s contacts with Mohamed Al Fayed in the months before her death in Paris.
In the interview, Burrell described how Diana accepted an invitation from Al Fayed to spend time on the French Riviera in 1997, after her divorce the previous year. Burrell said the invitation — to join Al Fayed, his wife Heini and their family for a holiday with the princes — was accepted despite Diana not being a great admirer of the businessman. He told the paper he routinely ensured Diana fastened her seatbelt when travelling.
Burrell’s recollections revisit long-standing questions about the circumstances that surrounded the crash in a Paris tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997, in which Diana and her companion, Dodi Fayed, were killed. Investigations conducted in the years after the crash, including a 2008 British inquest, concluded that the crash was caused by the negligent driving of the chauffeur, Henri Paul, and the pursuit of paparazzi; the inquest found that Diana was not wearing a seatbelt at the moment of impact.
Burrell’s account is framed as personal recollection and reflects his longstanding, often vocal loyalty to the late princess. He also revisited tensions within the royal circle, saying that Camilla — now Queen Consort following King Charles’s accession — would never be "his" queen, a remark consistent with Burrell’s past public criticism of Camilla’s role in royal life. He characterised Prince William as still puzzled by elements of his mother’s life and death, presenting that view as his interpretation of the prince’s state of mind.
Burrell also discussed Diana’s relationship with Mohamed Al Fayed, the former Harrods owner who courted links to the royal family. He described how Al Fayed used his social and commercial influence to cultivate connections with royals and celebrities at his Knightsbridge store and elsewhere. The businessman, who died in 2023, became a controversial figure long after Diana’s death: a 2024 BBC investigation reported allegations by more than 20 women that he had committed decades of serious abuse, with some accounts suggesting the final number of complainants could be considerably higher.
Observers say personal memoirs and interviews with former staff and associates have periodically revived public debate about Diana’s final months, the people who surrounded her at the time and how those relationships are remembered. Burrell has written and spoken extensively about his years in royal service; his recent comments to the Daily Mail are presented as his personal recollections and opinions rather than new documentary evidence.
The recollections underscore how the events and personalities linked to Diana continue to generate media attention decades after her death. While Burrell’s statements add to a long-running public narrative, official inquiries into the 1997 crash remain the principal public record on the cause of the accident and the question of seatbelt use at the time.