Paul Burrell: “Harry has made a deal with the devil – it’s the ultimate betrayal”
Following news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s docu-series could air on Netflix at the same time as its controversial royal drama The Crown, Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, says the damage is done
They’ve already landed a series of bombshells on the royal family, but Prince
Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix docu-series could spark fresh scandal after they invited camera crews to take an intimate look into family life inside their Californian mansion.
And while the royals are waiting on tenterhooks for the secrets and accusations that could come to light, the couple’s business partners – streaming giant Netflix – announced that the new series of their acclaimed royal drama,
The Crown, will drop on 9 November.
EXPLOSIVE
The hit show has already dealt with the most explosive and private moments in British royal history – including Prince Philip’s rumoured extra-marital affairs and Princess Diana’s painful battle with bulimia – yet as the show catches up to the present day, there has been furore among the British public and royalists.
Last week, a trailer for the new series dropped, depicting the breakdown of Diana and Charles’ marriage, as well as featuring controversial figure Martin Bashir – who, it emerged in recent years, duped Diana into doing his infamous 1996 interview.
The trailer was met with fury, as former PM John Major branded the show “damaging and malicious fiction” and actress Dame Judi Dench – a friend of Queen Consort Camilla – slammed it as “inaccurate, hurtful and cruelly unjust”.
MANIPULATIVE
Now Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, her closest confidante for a decade during her time at the palace, says Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, are committing the ultimate betrayal – and it’s too late to back out.
He says, “Harry made a deal with the devil. He got into bed with Netflix and took their money. If he was principled, this would never have happened. He’s going to be in a very difficult position working for a company who are portraying his mother and father in such a negative way. Surely he has principles? Or has he sold them as well?
“I believe it’s too late to fix now. The royal family can see that he’s merchandised himself to such an extreme that it’s impossible for him to get out of it. But where were his advisors at the beginning? Or was he so petulant as to ignore advice and just went for the cheque? Harry is in a very difficult position but he knew the rules of the game.”
The preview for the upcoming series suggests Netflix have not held back.
The two-minute clip outlines King Charles’ alleged affair with Camilla and depicts him as a manipulative cheater. Scriptwriters are also believed to have created a fictitious scene in which Charles begs his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, to abdicate.
And while Paul says Prince William and Harry will be upset by the references to their late mother Diana’s interview with former BBC journalist Martin Bashir – which the royals banned from ever being shown again – he believes the show could inflict a huge amount of damage on the King ahead of his coronation next May.
He says, “We are just about to crown a new monarch and he won’t want to be portrayed as a manipulative and uncaring man who ditched his wife and his family to pursue a love affair with a married woman who had her own family.
“We’re going to be reminded of ‘tampon-gate’ [a gross invasion of privacy which saw a phone call recorded during which Charles told Camilla he would like to be her tampon]. This is our future king being portrayed in a very basic way.
COMMITMENTS
“Camilla was once the most hated woman in Britain. Now we’re going to revisit that world where she was not liked to a time where she’s about to put a crown on her head. I think Netflix will fall foul of the British viewers this time.”
However, Harry appears to have little choice but to honour his commitments.
After he and Meghan left the
royal family in January 2020, they quickly shook hands on a stream of multimillionpound deals – including their reported £72 million partnership with Netflix.
Paul adds, “I think Harry is about to betray the entire royal family and his country. He is going into a Netflix hole more than ever before and I don’t think he’s going to come out of it.
“I think it’s beyond repair now, he’ll be breaching his contract and being a royal is their USP. We are just going to watch as Harry and Meghan send missiles into the heart of the royal family. I’m afraid they’ve sold their souls to Netflix and there’s no going back.
“The book [Harry’s upcoming memoir] has been suspended, but will that stop the bombshells landing? I doubt it. It’s just delaying the damage.”
As Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul had been incredibly close to her in the decade leading up to her death.
She reportedly shared all of her secrets and emotions with him and during separation talks with Prince Charles, Diana even demanded that she be allowed to keep Paul.
Now he says she would be saddened by Harry’s actions.
He says, “She was always incredibly proud that her sons were part of the royal family, and she told them about the privileged life they lead. Diana also made it clear to Harry that he should support his brother.”
❛ KING CHARLES WON’T WANT TO BE PORTRAYED AS MANIPULATIVE AND UNCARING❜
DISAPPOINTED
Paul also reveals how the late Queen would have been “disappointed” by Harry and Meghan’s actions.
He adds, “The Queen extended a hand of friendship to Meghan. When everything started happening, she didn’t understand. She was disappointed to the end of her life.
“I just hope Harry can think about that and use it to change the way he does things going forward.”