Closer (UK)

Paul: “Diana would tell Meghan to cut off her father”

Former royal butler Paul Burrell on how the late Princess Diana would have advised Meghan, as her family feud wages on

- By Lauren Franklin

❛THOMAS HAS CONTINUED TO DRIP-FEED STORIES AND HURT MEGHAN❜

She’s only been S royalty for three months, but even before her May wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle was weathering a storm created by her father Thomas and estranged half-sister Samantha.

While Samantha, 53, has criticised Meghan, 37, in bizarre social media rants and highprofil­e TV interviews, 74-yearold Thomas once had the public’s sympathy, but has since fallen out of favour.

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In recent weeks, the former lighting director – who missed Meghan’s wedding due to a reported heart attack – claimed his daughter is “terrified” of life in the Royal family, and then, in an explosive interview last week, insisted she’d “cut him off”, branded her “superior”, and even said she’d be better off if he died.

Thomas also dragged Prince Harry’s late mother Princess Diana into his rant, stating she would have “loathed” his treatment.

But former royal butler Paul Burrell, 60, disagrees, insisting Diana would tell Meghan to “freeze” her father out.

Speaking exclusivel­y to Closer, he said, “Diana would have tried to mediate between Thomas and Meghan at first. However, as Thomas has continued to drip-feed stories and hurt Meghan, Diana would have cut him out. If you oversteppe­d the mark and betrayed Diana, you were frozen out. I have no doubt she would have told Meghan to do the same.”

Paul says Diana would strongly relate to Meghan’s fractured relationsh­ip with her father, after enduring a turbulent one with her own mother, Frances Shand Kydd – who died in 2004. Diana was estranged from Frances at the time of her death in 1997, due to a rift following an interview Frances gave, exposing personal details about her.

He explains, “Diana would understand how Meghan feels. When Frances sold an interview about her relationsh­ip with Diana – after being asked not to – Diana cut her out. Unfortunat­ely, that was in the last few months of her life.”

EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL

Diana also endured a difficult relationsh­ip with stepmother Raine Spencer – who she is said to have referred to as “Acid Raine”, and reportedly once pushed down the stairs. But following the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, sources claimed Diana and Raine reconciled.

Paul says, “After a long period of silence, she realised Raine made her father very happy and took great care of him, so she repaid Raine’s kindness. So there may be hope for Thomas. For now, he needs to stop emotionall­y blackmaili­ng Meghan. She won’t comment, she will take the moral high-ground. If Thomas just shuts up, one day the phone will ring.

“Harry knows what to do. He’ll take care of Meghan through all this, and ensure that the courtiers – the men in grey suits – put barriers up around them and make sure she’s spared trauma.”

 ??  ?? Diana with her mother Frances Shand Kydd in 1989
Diana with her mother Frances Shand Kydd in 1989
 ??  ?? 13, with her Meghan, aged father Thomas
13, with her Meghan, aged father Thomas
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