Paul Burrell, the former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, revisits his 2001 criminal case and offers a series of personal recollections and assertions in a new memoir that also touches on reported tensions within the senior royal family.
In excerpts from the book, Burrell describes the lead-up to his Old Bailey trial and the moment the charges were read to him. "My trial at the Old Bailey was set for Monday 14 October 2002. I was a nervous wreck as I heard the charges read out. To each count I replied: 'Not guilty.'" He wrote that listening to prosecutors argue he had not told anyone he was taking items for safekeeping was “incredibly frustrating.”
Burrell recounts that on Aug. 16, 2001, he was charged with taking a large number of items purportedly from the estate of Diana, Princess of Wales, along with several objects linked to other senior royals. In his narrative he lists the counts as involving 315 items from Diana, six items from Prince Charles and 21 items from Prince William, and notes that a conviction could have carried a custodial sentence of up to five years. He says that in the aftermath of the police inquiry his home was searched and a number of personal items — including clothing and gifts that he says had been given to members of his family — were removed.
Burrell writes that, following the raid, an adviser to Prince Charles suggested he should explain why certain property was in his possession. He says he and his solicitor followed that suggestion and wrote to the prince. The memoir frames those steps as part of Burrell’s attempt to resolve the legal and reputational fallout he describes.
Alongside the legal chronology, the memoir contains broader claims and anecdotes about the royal family. Burrell recounts what he characterizes as a volatile mix of jealousy and misunderstanding among some members of the family. He also attributes to the late queen an ominous warning about "dark forces," presenting the comment as part of the household lore he witnessed during his years of service.
Burrell has long been a polarizing figure in accounts of the royal household; he served as a senior member of staff for Diana and later spoke and wrote publicly about his time with the princess. The new book places his 2001–2002 legal ordeal at its center and uses that episode as a prism through which he examines relationships, loyalties and the pressures on those who worked close to the royals.
His descriptions of the courtroom and the police operation are written in memoir form, with Burrell offering first-person impressions of fear, frustration and the strain of facing public prosecution. He frames the removal of items from his home as distressing and emphasizes gifts he says were given to his family over the years.
The claims in the book revive longstanding public interest in episodes from the royal household in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period that included the death of Princess Diana and intense media scrutiny of the family. Burrell’s account adds another personal perspective to a series of memoirs and interviews about that era.
Publishers and publicists typically promote memoirs that include new or controversial details about public figures; the book’s assertions should be read as Burrell’s personal recollections and interpretations. The royal household customarily does not comment on the private recollections of former staff, and the memoir does not represent an official statement from the family.
Burrell’s narrative weaves courtroom detail with anecdote and reflection, recounting the procedural steps of the legal case while also offering broader commentary on the interpersonal dynamics he observed. The memoir’s mix of legal chronicle and personal observation is likely to renew attention to both the specifics of his prosecution and the wider set of claims about tensions and warnings he attributes to figures within the monarchy.