Prince Harry felt he needed to tell his side of the story through his memoir Spare.
While there have been various reports of the book upsetting members of the Royal Family who were mentioned in it, Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell has also admitted to being hurt by some of the contents of Spare.
"There was something else which annoyed me intensely," Burrell tells Marie Claire on behalf of Slingo.
"I was really upset, really upset [by] the fact that he referred to me as 'the butler,' 'mummy’s butler.' Well, mummy’s butler was called Paul, Harry, and you knew me, all your life you’ve known me as Paul.
"He had never known me as 'the butler' so why suddenly has there been a shift only recently, a shift to being called the butler? Suddenly I’m sort of being dismissed by this petulant prince as irrelevant because he says my tell-all book told nothing."
Burrell published the memoirs A Royal Duty in 2000 and The Way We Were: Remembering Diana in 2006 based on his time working for the Royal Family.
"I have to be very positive all the time about this and say, 'Harry you’re wrong, you are wrong on several levels. You are wrong because you have forgotten duty, respect, loyalty. Not only to your family but to our country and to the people of our country,'" Burrell claims.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
"I don’t think the people of our country like that very much. I wouldn’t worry about the media if he came back here, I’d worry about the people on the street because they have a say also and I’ve always said that the monarchy and our Royal Family have a very privileged life and live in a very privileged way where anything is at their disposal. The price they pay for that is public service. Well for Harry, that’s sort of gone now, the public service has finished and he’s swapped royalty for celebrity."
When Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left their roles as senior royals, they also relinquished their charity patronages. That said, they have thrown their efforts into many worthy causes during their time in California—from vaccine equality to paid family leave.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Anne Hathaway Details the "Gross" Audition Request She Once Endured
"Now we know better."
By Meghan De Maria Published
-
The Emotional Ending of 'Baby Reindeer,' Explained
Netflix's latest miniseries from Richard Gadd is based on the true story of the comedian and his stalker.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
The Must-Visit Hair Colorists in New York City
I trust these talented colorists implicitly.
By Sophia Vilensky Published
-
Will Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Appear in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Two New Netflix Series?
Filming for both shows—about polo and cookery—began this month.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry Has Changed His Official Residence to the U.S.
Don't make it mean more than it does, k?
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Meghan Markle Thinks Prince Harry Is "Making a Big Mistake" in Wanting to Reach Out to William, Kate: Source
She's worried he'll get hurt again.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince Harry "Loves Being a Dad" to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, According to His Longtime Friend
Parenthood suits the Duke of Sussex.
By Meghan De Maria Published
-
King Charles “Desperately” Wants the Sussexes to Join Him at Balmoral This Summer
The castle in the Scottish Highlands, independent of a potential Sussex visit, is undergoing a major change starting this summer.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Officially Announce Two New Netflix Series, Both In the “Early Stages” of Production
One show focuses on one of Meghan’s primary hobbies, while the other goes behind the curtain of one of Harry’s foremost passions.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Would Be "Absolutely Distraught" Over the State of Prince William and Prince Harry's Relationship, Expert Claims
She wanted them to have each other's backs.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Future King Prince William Has Lost One of His "Top Advisers" in Prince Harry, Says Expert
Harry could have been a major asset for him.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published