Princess Diana’s former butler has called on Prince Harry to apologise for “defamatory” statements made about him in court.
The Duke of Sussex dubbed Paul Burrell a “two-faced s**t” who was “attention-seeking and self-interested”.
Harry, 38, referred to an article published in the People in 2003 soon after Burrell’s trial, where he was accused of selling Diana’s possessions.
The case collapsed and, according to the piece, Prince William had hoped to meet with Burrell in a bid to “stop him selling more Diana secrets”.
Harry said he was concerned Burrell would use the meeting as an opportunity to make money.
Harry told the High Court today: “The article accurately sets out the position that my brother was open to fixing a meeting with Paul to discuss his ongoing exposés about our mother.
“However I had made up my mind about the kind of person I thought Paul was, and was firmly against meeting him.
“Both my brother and I had very strong feelings about how indiscrete Paul had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother's possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her.”
Paul Burrell calls for Prince Harry to apologise
GB News
In a desperate plea, Burrell called on Harry to “stop” his claims, arguing that the court case against him had been dropped thanks to evidence put forward by the Queen, and Harry should not be bringing up old claims as a result.
In an exclusive GB News interview, he said: “I’m finding this deeply upsetting and hurtful. I need to process what has been said. I think it is careless and callous, what Harry has said in court.
“He seems to be living in an alternate world, a world which is deluded. He seems to be able to say whatever he can and whatever he wants to.”
Diana’s former butler claims Harry’s comments in the High Court are defamatory, and called on him to apologise.
He said: “His legal statement which he drew up in the last few months is evidence sworn under oath, he has categorically said in that statement that I have been selling Diana’s possessions.
“That is not true and that is defamatory. I want him to apologise because it’s not true. He knows fully well I have always protected and loved his mother, and himself and William when they were younger.
“I don’t know what tangent he’s gone off here because it’s not true, it simply isn’t.
“I think he thinks this is a PR exercise and he doesn’t care what casualties he has in the process of putting forward his fight against the media.
Prince Harry is suing MGN for damagesPA“He complained in Spare that he was put on Camilla’s PR altar and sacrificed, he is doing the same thing.
“I am not a ‘two-faced s***. Don’t say these things. I was blamed for doing something I didn’t do.
“Harry you know fully well that court case collapsed, and the Queen had evidence which saved me.
“You can’t go into a courtroom and say Paul Burrell is selling my mother’s possessions, because it isn’t true.”
The Duke claims his remarks about Burrell were obtained illegally by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) from a voicemail he left for his brother, now the Prince of Wales.
Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) denies the allegations.
Harry is suing MGN for damages, claiming journalists at its titles, which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
MGN is contesting the claims and has either denied or not admitted to each of them.
