Princess Diana's former aide claims the Spencers 'were jealous' of her success
Princess Diana's former aide claims the Spencers 'were jealous' of her success
Ben McCaffrey Wed, September 23, 2026 at 10:26 PM UTC
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Princess Diana | Source: PA
The late Princess of Wales's former butler has claimed the Spencer family was "jealous" of Diana's success and popularity with the British public.
Paul Burrell, 68, has today spoken out for the first time regarding Earl Spencer's bombshell memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
He worked as Diana's closest confidant for a decade, right up until she died in 1997 - and has come to her defence following the release of her brother's book.
The Earl has faced criticism after an unearthed clip portrayed him saying he would "never profit off Diana's death" - despite being in line to make millions from the memoir.
Diana is understood not to have been on speaking terms with the Earl - who was living in South Africa - at the time of her tragic death.
Mr Burrell, who was often spotted alongside the late princess and knew her like few others, has given a stark assessment of the pair's relationship.
"For the last five years of Diana's life, they barely spoke," he told Piers Morgan Uncensored. "I can tell you on one hand the times that he came to Kensington Palace for lunch.
"He was not a regular visitor. They were not in regular contact.
"I did send the occasional fax to South Africa, to his estate there, whenever Diana wanted him to know something. But he was not part of her world."
He continued with a damning verdict on what her true thoughts were about her close family.
"She said, 'My family only want me when they want the best seats in the best restaurants in town, or want to sit in the royal box at Wimbledon'," he recalled.
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"They didn't care about Diana."
Earl Spencer | Source: PA
He added that Diana "achieved so much in her short lifetime, much more than the entire Spencer family put together."
"I basically think they were jealous," he stated. "They were jealous of her success and the love that she had from people around the world."
The Earl's memoir has also come under fire due to its shocking allegations about then-Prince Charles throughout his relationship with Diana, and in the aftermath of her tragic death.
It is claimed in the book the future King sounded "giddily elated - like a lottery winner" during a phone call with the Earl, and also said that Diana would be forgotten "soon enough".
Despite resulting in a carefully worded response from Buckingham Palace - in which it warned the "pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory" - it is former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan who has caused the Earl his biggest headache post-publication.
In an explosive monologue on Monday,the broadcaster revealed the Earl accused him of publishing pictures of Princess Diana in a gym leotard, taken from a hidden gym camera.
However, Mr Morgan did not begin employment at the Daily Mirror until October 1995, almost two years after the images appeared in the Sunday Mirror on November 7, 1993.
An infuriated Mr Morgan blasted the book for its "fabricated inaccuracies which will strike to the heart of his credibility," adding: "I come across in the most despicable manner imaginable."
The Times then revealed last night that the Earl has agreed to edit future editions of the book to rectify the error, which he called an "incorrect assumption".
GB News has approached Earl Spencer for comment.
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