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Diana's ex-butler wants to bring 'her boys back together & share secrets'

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Diana's ex-butler wants to bring 'her boys back together & share secrets'
Diana's ex-butler wants to bring 'her boys back together & share secrets'

PRINCESS Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell says he wants to reunite her sons and vowed to share "her secrets” with William and Harry.

The former royal servant, who Diana referred to has her “rock”, is preparing for prostate surgery and wants to reveal to Princes William and Harry what he knows about their mum -both the good and bad.

Paul Burrell was Diana's butler for 10 years eiqtiqtziddxprw
Paul Burrell was Diana's butler for 10 yearsCredit: Rex
Paul hopes he can reunite the Princes William and Harry by telling them what he knows about their mum
Paul hopes he can reunite the Princes William and Harry by telling them what he knows about their mumCredit: Getty

Paul, 64, told the Mirror: “I know some of it isn’t pretty, but if I leave this place and go somewhere else they’ll never know.

“I think they should know.”

His diagnosis last month has left him worrying he will run out of time to “tell them the truth”.

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Paul spent 10 years as Diana’s butler up until her tragic death in 1997.

He said: “She confided in me and there are many things I have never spoken about, but now I feel the time is right.”

Paul hopes that what he has to say could reunite the brothers after they became distant following Harry’s move to the US with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020.

He added that he only wants to tell them the truth and to try to do his bit to see them reconciled and was not looking for anything in return.

However, he worried that a reconciliation wasn’t on the cards because there were too many “obstacles” in the way.

While he said he wanted to tell them “the truth” he warned some of that though may be “difficult” but he stressed it was important they were told things they may not be aware of and he wanted to fill in some of the blanks.

Previously, Paul has described himself as being Diana’s “best friend” and that she said he was “the only man she ever trusted”.

That trust drove Paul to keep her secrets but now wants to share what he knows with her two sons in the hope it will bring them back together.

In Harry’s memoir Spare, which was published last month, the Duke of Sussex, 38, dismisses Paul as “mummy’s butler”.

He said he had been “discarded” by the younger prince but added Harry hadn’t thought about all the years he spent with her.

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Following their mother’s death the princes should have stuck together, side by side but they didn’t, he said.

Paul married Maria Cosgrove and they had two sons together Alexander and Nicholas before he came out as gay and they divorced.

He married Graham Cooper in 2017 and they now live together in Tarporley, Cheshire.

Paul spent 21 years serving the royal family, first as a footman for the late Queen at Buckingham Palace and then as Diana’s butler at Highgrove and Kensington Palace.

He had a routine medical last summer which detected an unusual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in his blood.

An MRI showed he had prostate cancer.

He has undergone HRT and will undergo surgery this month before radiation known as brachytherapy.

While he is looking forward to celebrating his fifth wedding anniversary in April with “Coop” he admitted both his illness and the death of Queen Elizabeth had taken a “tremendous toll”.

He also warned men over 50 to get a check-up which could help save their life.

Paul said men owed it to their loved ones to live longer and be there for them.

Paul warned that some of the things he had to say to William and Harry would be 'difficult'
Paul warned that some of the things he had to say to William and Harry would be 'difficult'Credit: AP
The former butler is having surgery for prostrate cancer this month and wants to tell the princes his 'secrets' before it is 'too late'
The former butler is having surgery for prostrate cancer this month and wants to tell the princes his 'secrets' before it is 'too late'Credit: Rex

Jon Rogers

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