Di’s butler did it!
He’s marrying his man
Only six months after divorcing his wife of 32 years, Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell – the man she referred to as “my rock” – is set to marry his male partner.
Paul and lawyer Graham Cooper, both 58, will tie the knot in an intimate, circusthemed ceremony at a five-star hotel in England’s Lake District in April – just four months before the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death.
Although the former courtier has denied gay rumours for years, it is thought that he shared his secret with the late princess. A close source reveals, “Paul’s friends and family all know, but for a long time he kept it a closely guarded secret. He did share it with Diana while he worked with her because they were so close, but at the time, she was the only woman he felt he could tell.”
Former business partners Paul and Graham, who live together in Cheshire, held a joint stag do at Funny Girls, a Blackpool drag club with performances from Lady Gaga and Shirley Bassey impersonators. It’s thought that they have been in a relationship for 10 years but only recently told Paul’s sons Alex, 27, and Nick, 24, who have since accepted invitations to the wedding.
Paul met their mother Maria, 62, in Buckingham Palace while he was working as the Queen’s footman and she was Prince Philip’s maid. They wed in 1984, but she and the boys have lived separately from Paul for many years in a lavish Florida mansion funded by his best-selling books.
Out & proud
In 2002 – after Australian Greg Pead claimed he’d enjoyed a three-year relationship with Paul back in the ’80s – Maria seemed to confirm gay rumours by saying, “There are no secrets between Paul and me. I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open. We have confronted these issues.”
Paul himself declared, “I have a lot of history. I am a colourful character. Maria knows who I am.”
Revealing their divorce last year, the couple released a statement to say, “Paul and Maria remain the best of friends and have two wonderful sons who remain their priority.” The former butler added, “I still love my wife. Marrying her was the best thing in my life and to witness the boys being born – nothing compares. It’s sad when people part, but it happens a lot.”
Last week, new claims emerged that Paul was involved in a gay orgy on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1981. Members of the navy were fired, but Paul kept his job because of his close relationship with the Queen, who reportedly told him to “get back on the right track and find himself a nice girl”.