Diana's former butler Paul Burrell claims Meghan and Harry 'stifled' by royals
13 January 2020, 14:22
The former royal staff member has waded in on the recent scandal.
The Duke and Duchess have recently announced they will be stepping down as senior royals, and amidst the scandal, Princess Diana's former butler has spoken about the whole ordeal.
Talking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Burrell, 61 stated "I’m hoping William can bring a strong bridge towards his brother during this meeting and bring him back into the fold, as his brother, but Harry wants to be more of a humanitarian than a royal.”
The former royal butler was described by the late Diana as "the only man I ever trusted" and they had a close friendship, with Burrell being very close to Princes William and Harry as they grew up.
His comments on the recent royal scandal came ahead of today's meeting at Sandringham where the Queen will be meeting with the other senior royals to discuss the future of Harry and Meghan within the royal family.
Paul stated: "“I feel very sorry for the queen, of course… 93 years old, our monarch has suffered greatly over the years and seen a lot happen to her family, and she’s moved with the times.
"I do feel sorry for William and Harry not having that bond which they once had.
"Obviously when their mother died, they were cemented together and inseparable. I feel sorry for that and their mother would be sad, too."
He also added that over the past few days he's been thinking about what Princess Diana would've thought of the situation.
"My thoughts have been with her this week, as I’ve seen this unfold in America.
"I’ve been thinking of her and she would have given the boys advice and said to them, 'Marry for love', which they have, 'Be respectful and kind to your wife', which they both have, but 'Be happy', because Diana wasn’t and clearly Meghan and Harry aren’t happy in the environment they’re in - being stifled by the royal household.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released the bombshell Instagram statement last week, announcing they would be spending half their time in Canada, and the other half in the UK, as well as stepping down from their positions and becoming financially independent.
The statement read: "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.
"We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.
"It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.
"This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.
"We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.
"Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
