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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Victoria Johns

Paul Burrell’s bitter war of words with Prince Harry after bombshell memoir claims

I'm A Celebrity...South Africa star Paul Burrell has been incredibly candid about his time working for the Royal Family – however, his openness over the years hasn't always been well received.

The former butler, 64, is currently battling his wits against snakes and the like in the Kruger National Park after making his debut on the show in 2004.

And viewers can certainly expect more revelations from Paul about the Royal Family.

He's already divided fans with his details about the late Queen's bathtime routine - but Princess Diana referred to the contestant as her "rock".

Following her death in 1997, Paul published A Royal Duty, speaking about their friendship. However, the release of the book stirred things up with Diana's son Prince Harry, which he revealed in his memoir.

But, it isn't the first – or the last time – the pair have had a war of the words, here we take a look.

'Milking Diana's death'

In his controversial memoir Spare, Prince Harry claimed the former butler turned TV star was 'milking' his mother's death for money.

Harry accused the former butler of milking his mother's death (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Duke of Sussex claimed he first learned of the book while working as a farmhand in Australia aged 19 in 2003 after leaving Eton College.

Writing he'd received a package from Buckingham Palace, including a memo from the royal communications team concerning 'a delicate matter', he said: "Mummy's former butler had penned a tell-all which actually told nothing. It was merely one man's self-justifying, self-centring version of events.

"My mother once called this butler a dear friend, trusted him implicitly. We did too. Now this. He was milking her disappearance for money. It made my blood boil."

Paul spoke to the Mirror about Harry's accusations, saying he was 'saddened' by what he read.

He told us: "(Harry) has discarded me, but he hasn't thought about all of those years that I spent with his mother, in private, loving her, caring for her, watching out for her.

"I've been dismissed and I'm very sad about that."

'Harry's lost the plot'

Speaking further about Spare, Paul told the Lorraine show: "[Harry’s] known me all his life as ‘Paul’. He knew how much I loved his mother and protected her memory, he knows all of that.

"Why did he call me ‘Mummy’s Butler?’ Why couldn’t he have asked, come to me personally and said he wasn’t happy with the situation?

"I’ve always defended [Harry] down to the last minute and now I’m thinking, ‘Harry, you’ve lost the plot,’" he said.

Accusing Meghan of 'stealing' Harry

Harry and his brother William are barely speaking after the father-of-two and Meghan Markle quit the UK for the US.

Like many royal commentators, Paul has been very vocal about his views on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship and Harry's fallout with his brother Prince William.

Speaking about Diana's sons, Paul told the Mirror earlier this year: "You look at William and Harry as an 11-year-old and 14-year-old walking behind their mother's coffin, the nation saw that the nation witnessed that and our hearts broke for those two boys.

"That path should have been the same path from then on. That's what Diana would have wanted.

"For the two boys to be stuck side by side for the rest of their lives. Her death should have glued them together forever, but it didn't."

Meanwhile, the former Suits star recently announced she won't be attending King Charles' coronation in May, with Harry representing the family on his own.

Paul is currently appearing on I'm A Celeb (ITV)

Speaking about Meghan's decision to stay in the US on GB News on Friday, Paul said: "I think Meghan was scared of coming back to this country, and quite rightly.

"Because people in this country don't like the fact that she's stolen our Prince. She's brainwashed him, blinkered him and tied him down to his California mansion."

Clashes over Kate's engagement ring

Paul hit back at claims made by Prince Harry about his sister-in-law Kate's engagement ring.

The striking sparkler originally belonged to Princess Diana, but is now worn by the Princess of Wales after William gave it to her when he proposed.

However, when Diana died, it was believed William chose to keep his mother's Cartier watch while Harry picked her engagement ring.

But when the now Prince of Wales popped the question 2010, way before Harry met wife Meghan, it was said the brothers later swapped the pieces of jewellery.

Harry reckons this was "absolutely rubbish ", writing in Spare: "I never gave Willy that ring because it wasn’t mine to give. He already had it. He'd asked for it after Mummy died, and I'd been more than happy to let it go."

But speaking to the Mirror, Paul denied the Duke of Sussex's claims, saying he watched the Princes pick the pieces of jewellery they wanted to keep after Diana's death.

He explained: "Harry said to me, 'I always remember holding mummy's hand and that ring hurting me because it was so big'.

"And that's why, when the boys came to Kensington Palace, I said to them, 'you must take something of your mother's, you must take something to remind yourself of your time here at Kensington Palace and your mother's life'.

"Ironically, of course, when William became engaged to Kate, some deal must have been done behind the scenes because Harry had the ring so Harry, obviously, gave up his treasure to his brother so that it could be on the ring finger of his wife who would one day be Queen."

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