Thursday 13 September, 2001Paul Burrell: The People Speak
It could be that Lady Sarah McCorquodale is behind it, I don't know. However, I
take issue with your Muse in that it completely ignores the fact that there was a police
investigation and that the Crown decided there was enough evidence to prosecute him. I
don't know the details, all I ask for is balanced reporting. You could at least have
mentioned some of the claims against him and why it has come to court. To read your muse
it sounds like he upset someone who has now decided to get even with him. The fact that he
has been loyal, etc. is undisputed but that doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't commit
any offences. Again, a balanced report is all I ask. Otherwise I'm an avid fan of the
daily news and your column.
- David
Dear David:
Didn't mean to ignore the fact that there is a police investigation, just trying to point
out that there is something rotten in the state of Denmark - or the city of London. My
original summation was that Princess Margaret's butler, Harold Brown, who is accused of
taking the jeweled dhow, among other costly items, might have made a leading remark, which
prompted the investigation against Paul Burrell. The list of items Mr. Burrell is accused
of taking, though far longer in length, were of little intrinsic value. It does seem
plausible to me that Diana's sister, Sarah, may have been the one to set this into motion
given the motive of jealousy over the fact that Diana bestowed her trust in Mr. Burrell
and not in her blood relations. I'm watching closely…
Dear Muse-
Paul Burrell seems to be the target of someone who wants his claim as Diana's trusted
"rock" tarnished forever. Diana was very generous to those around her - there is
no doubt in my mind that she gave Mr. Burrell and his wife many, many items while they
were with her. Have all the "stolen" items been proven to belong to the
Princess? And since Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry do not wish to press
charges, who is? Who is behind this mess? And don't forget that there are those who feel
Mr. Burrell was a servant and was vastly overstepping his position after Diana's
death.
My heart goes out to Mr. Burrell and his whole family. The trial should be illuminating
stuff indeed.
- Lynn Carroll
Dear Lynn:
There is something fishy going on. Political pressure on the appropriate people could be
the motivating factor behind the investigation. It could also be someone who would like to
bring down the House of Windsor. What better way to humiliate them then to have their
dirty laundry aired in a court of law? I'm hoping the whole thing is settled civilly for
Mr. Burrell's sake as well as the Windsor's.
Dear Muse:
I have more questions than comments about the theft case. The list of items taken suggests
sentimental value rather than cash value. Why didn't he take less things of higher value
if theft was the motive? What exactly is the conflict with Sarah about? The decision to
charge him hinged on the Highgrove meeting with Charles and William. Why didn't they try
to stop this from going to trial? Why did Burrel's lawyer say the royals are out to
destroy him? What about the suggestion that Prince Philip is worried about letters he
wrote Diana that can't be found? How will Burell pay for his defence? Isn't he being
forced to eventually write the ultimate Diana book? Where is the evidence now and won't
all the pictures and letters eventually go public during the trial? It seems Burell is
being targeted but by who and why? The story looks like a mismanaged mess that will
explode in everyone's face. No wonder Burell is under stress because he has always refused
to let that happen but he won't be able to stop it. There are too many unanswered
questions to make sense of the story. He was trusted with Diana's body and to catalogue
her belongings but now is being charged for having an old record collection and negatives
of birthday parties? C'mon there is something missing in this picture and it is not a
whip.
- No name please
Dear No Name:
I fear you are right. It is a very explosive situation. Let's hope someone with sense and
without a hidden agenda takes responsibility for this case.
Dear Eileen,
Thank you for your article about Paul Burrell. I am so worried that something will happen
to him. The Royal Family has a way of getting rid of their problems. I hope he is being
careful. Cindy Adams has a great column in the NY Post about him today. She says she has
been told by folks close to the situation that Diana was always giving stuff away. She was
given so much by so many people that she gave things to her friends, Fergie, etc. If Paul
has things, she gave them to him. He certainly had no reason to steal. Cindy also says
that Diana's sister Sarah particularly dislikes him and had him fired from his position
with the Princess Diana Fund. Cindy writes that the Royal Family, especially the Queen
Mother, still hates Diana. They don't like Paul because he was such a loyal and faithful
servant. They (the palace and Prince Charles' PR people) will do everything they can to
discredit him. They have not allowed him to have any contact with William or Harry. I hope
it all turns out ok for him and that he is able to live in peace. I admire him for his
silence. I think that is what bothers the living Royals. They know that he knows the
secrets and are afraid of what may come out. They are making a big mistake here.
- Carolyn
Dear Carolyn:
That was a great article by Cindy Adams. The only difference of opinion I hold is that I
don't believe that Prince Charles wants to go to trial. He may have wanted the personal
letters back, but he did agree to give him a complete pardon in return for the
investigated items. It is Scotland Yard that is insisting on the trial. As far as the
Queen, I like to believe that she is above such petty hatred.
Dear Muse:
I dont believe Paul Burrell stole anything. Diana thought so much of him.so he has to be
disgraced in some manner. I truly think that it is just another press release to try and
make Diana look alittle worse on the fourth anniversary of her death. WELL THEY CAN DO AS
THEY PLEASE, BUT I THINK ANYONE WITH ANY BRAINS AT ALL CAN SEE THRU IT!!
- Unsigned
Dear Unsigned:
It looks as if the plan to discredit Paul Burrell may backfire. It appears as though those
who would discredit him will come out looking the most tarnished.
Two one liners (unsigned) received via the Muse email box:
1. P. V. is innocent!
2. Sympathy for The Rock is felt and wishes for his health recovery many.
Hi Eileen,
This is Photo of myself with Paul outside Windsor Castle on the day of the Wedding of
Edward and Sophie. I was there just to see the events and Paul was helping a News Station
Narrate a report for the Wedding. I was in Celebratory mood and was wearing a St. George's
Flage as a cape and I held a yellow Tweety Bird to wave at the Royal Couple. When I met
Paul he was very kind and said of my goofy outfit, "What is this Tweetys" and he
put his Arm around my back and then when someone took our photo together I acted formal
and shook is hand for the Photo. It seemed very nice meeting him and I think I should try
contact him about helping me publish something of tons of photos I got of Britain and
Royalty from a Unique Child Like perspective. Maybe I still will contact him about my
photos and things. I wish him well. It is very hard to understand all that has gone on
over the years, but it was simply nice meeting him and he seemed a very gentle kind
person.
- Marti
Dear Marti:
This is a lovely photo. I'm sure that your compassionate words will be of great comfort to
Paul during this trying time.
Dear Eileen,
I have just read your article about Paul Burrell and his upcoming trial.
I believe this is all such a travesty for this poor man to have to go through the court
system to clear his name. He obviously has remained loyal to Diana, Princess of Wales and
I doubt very seriously that he would ever even consider stealing from the Princess and,
therefore, her children. If it is true that the Princess' sister, Sarah, is responsible
for concocting this story, I shouldn't think it will bring her any closer to William and
Harry. I wonder if she even thought that far or even cares? Here's hoping that Mr. Burrell
will be able to come out of this unscathed and go on with his life in peace. I do so enjoy
your articles. Keep up the good work!!!
- Sincerely, Diana V. Asher, Broad Run, Virgina USA
Dear Diana:
As with most acts of vengeance, no thought is ever given to the innocent victims - in this
case William and Harry. Again, I'm praying some sensible human being will step in and
squash this ludicrous case before it harms the young princes.
Dear Muse:
I loved your column. First of all, Paul Burrell would never tarnish the memory of Diana,
Princess of Wales. He was a loving, supportive man, who loved the Princess and her sons.
He stood by her through thick and thin, and to this day has never revealed one item
pertaining to the marriage. I am now reading Diana's Boys, William and Harry and the
Mother they loved. I certainly hope that her Majesty QEII reads the first chapter. It is
appalling to me how cold she can be, and I have been a supporter of hers since she took
the throne. In my humble opinion, this Burrell mess could all be done away with. Who can
prove or disprove that Diana did not GIVE these items to Paul and his family as gratitude
and knew he would protect her most intimate personal things? This is all heresay and a PR
move. This should be stopped, and noted that it is a travesty of justice. If you legally
look at the case, there is no evidence presented that Paul took these items. The Princess
is dead, William and Harry love him, and they know him better than anyone. She can't get
up and say "I gave these to Paul for safe keeping". Let Paul Burrell go, and let
him live his life, with his memories of the beloved Princess and let her sons rest. This
is all Paul wants, but if pushed, I too would spill my guts and ask God to guide me, but I
would put the blame where it belongs. Diana gave those items to Paul to keep for her and
for her sons. Haven't you royals been greedy enough all these years? Haven't you put your
poor subjects to poverty just so you could live in the lifestyle you think you so deserve?
Power to the people, and I hope Paul Burrell has enough people to jam the courtroom and
let the chips fall where they may. Just all you high and mighty Brits hang on, because the
going is going to get rougher and it should. What you sew you reap and if the Queen is so
religious, she has to know this, and I think it has been proven by the way her
dysfunctional family has turned out. The Queen has enough money to live out her life with
no more money from the people. Let England become the country it once was. Haven't the
bloody British stolen all of the Princesses' glory? Now they want to put her dresses on
display again. If you disliked her so much, are you still afraid of her power? I think so!
What a travesty. Stop this foolishness and let Diana rest in peace. You hated her anyway,
and you were jealous, and now Paul Burrell must defend his "gifts" from the
woman who loved him and called him "my rock". Was it your Majesty who sat the
coffin in St. James reading to her, talking to her, pouring out your heart? I don't think
so. You were too busy "being royal". Even your son wants the charges dropped.
Are you people daft or just wanting to cash in and discredit the Princess who brought your
antiquated Monarchy to the surface and showed the public who you really are, and how they
support your rich lifestyle while they are in poverty. Your people seem to love the Queen,
so make the Queen stop this Burrell matter and let life go on. Why put the boys through
anymore?
- Claudia
eileen,
from what little i know, i see no guilt in mr. burrell. what i do see are the works of
those that brings(and those that allow) this lawsuit aganist him. indeed, their sins are
greater then his!
- cc
Dear CC:
Let's hope you are right!
Dear Eileen,
I couldn't agree with you more, but I have a couple thoughts I would like to add:
- Yes, I do think he was protecting her belongings. According to The Real Diana by Lady
CC, he was ordered to open Diana's safe, which contained her most private papers including
medical records, and her sisters and mother went through the lot and destroyed most of
them. So obviously there was a need to protect her things, and when I read that the
inventory included papers, I hope against hope that he managed to save some from
destruction for future historians.
- Do you sometimes get the feeling that people who are supporters of Diana are
deliberately being discredited or threatened with ruin if they object to the palace
agenda? Even if Mr. Burrell is not convicted, his reputation has been ruined by these
trumped-up charges. Lord Archer was one of her friends and first he went to jail, and
recently he has been accused of selling phony Diana autographs. And while Earl Spencer was
very vocal earlier this summer about Charles never visiting her grave, lately he has
backed down and commented that who Charles marries is none of his business. (Granted it
isn't any of his business, but the way those two were sniping just before Diana's birthday
makes it a big about-face.)
As far as I am concerned, Paul Burrell is more of a gentleman than most
who call themselves such and I would be prouder to shake his hand than I would any member
of the royal family.
- Denise
Dear Denise:
The word gentleman is the perfect description of this moral man. After
all the public scrutiny, all the temptation of the money, etc. he has resisted exploiting
the Princess and her memory.
Dear Readers,
I'm afraid I can't find the letter from the reader who wrote to say that Prince Charles is
standing by Paul Burrell by asking that the charges against him be dropped. Where do I get
off saying that Charles never liked him?
Well, I have most recently read this in the Scotsman
Online Profile of Paul Burrell titled "Profile: Diana's Trusted Friend"
dated Saturday, August 18th 2001 that, "His closeness to Diana had not gone
unnoticed. It was Burrell that Charles picked out among Diana's household as the person
most likely to have been passing on information about his affair with Mrs. Parker-Bowles.
It left the Prince with a sour taste in his moth about the butler, one which survives to
this day."
This was a very enjoyable article, which I believe may still be available via the search
function.
Well dear readers, I'm sure I am with the rest of you in shock at the acts
of terrorism that have been made against the United States of America. The company I work
for and my home are approximately 30 miles from the tragic twin towers at the World Trade
Center. Though we are headquartered elsewhere, we do have several buildings with employees
in that area that were immediately evacuated. Else where in the city our employees were
evacuated due to bomb threats. We spent Tuesday trying to locate each of them to ensure
they were safe. We made hotel reservations for those who could not travel back to the city
and for those who could not leave it. We tracked down husbands, wives, children and other
relatives. Eligible employees were encouraged to donate their blood and a matching gift
program was established for donations made to the American Red Cross. The safety and
security of the victims was and continues to be the priority.
Though I'm very proud of my company for its handling of this disaster, though I saw them
doing all that was in their power to assist I cannot help but feel useless in the face of
this heinous crime. The bravery of the rescue teams and of the citizens is heartening. The
stories I've heard of the tragic way in which innocent people have perished is very
disturbing. My heartfelt condolences go to all the victims and their families, not only
here in the NY area, but everywhere this evil has touched.
All the best,
-- Eileen Sullivan --
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