Times Princess Diana's Former Butler Brutally Shaded Meghan & Harry
It's mind-boggling how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are far from the fairytale prince and princess people expected. According to a 2022 YouGov poll, 59% of Brits aren't exactly fans of Harry, and a whopping 64% can't stand Markle, making her one of the most hated celebrities on the internet. Leading the charge of their critics is none other than Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler and self-proclaimed confidante, who blasts the couple in the media every chance he gets.
According to the Mirror, he wasn't just a mere butler for the late royal. He claimed that he was Diana's close friend, and supposedly "the only man she ever trusted." However, Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, wasn't buying it, calling him "just another hanger-on grasping at Diana's celebrity." Harry and Prince William share the sentiment, with Harry expressing in testimony that they both "had very strong feelings about how indiscreet Paul had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother's possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her," according to the New York Post. He even admitted to calling him a "two-faced s**t."
Despite being iced out by Diana's inner circle, Burrell hasn't held back on shading the Royal Family, especially Harry and Meghan, whom he dubs "Ginge and Whinge." Here's a rundown of the many times he's taken shots at them publicly.
Burrell said Harry and Meghan's social circle is shrinking
Not only are Harry and Meghan out of favor with the public, but according to Paul Burrell, they're also losing friends left and right. In an interview with Closer, Burrell claimed that the couple's inner circle is shrinking fast, though he didn't spill the exact tea on why. "Harry and Meghan's circle is getting smaller and smaller. I think the A-list stars are dropping like flies," he said (via The U.S. Sun). "Some already have done — Oprah no longer seems involved with them and some other celebrities have also dropped them." Once the "It Couple" of the moment when they tied the knot, the two now seem to be the opposite. "Back in the day, the A-listers were riding on the moment — Harry and Meghan were the most popular couple in the country at one time, when they got married, but there's since been a decline," Burrell added.
While Burrell's claims are tough to verify, it's true that some of Markle's Hollywood friends have cut ties with her. Plus, in Harry's controversial memoir, "Spare," he confessed that some of his closest buddies confronted him about being less than thrilled with the revelations from their Oprah interview. "Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy, had chastised me for Oprah, 'How could you reveal such things? About your family?'" he wrote.
He claimed that Meghan is a 'predator'
Paul Burrell didn't hold back when he labeled Meghan Markle a "predator," accusing her of using friends and then discarding them once she's got what she wanted. In an interview with GB News, Burrell speculated that this behavior is why her circle keeps getting smaller and smaller. People are beginning to feel they are being used by Meghan," he insinuated. "Meghan is a predator. She will use people and drop them when she's finished with them. She sucks them dry, and then, they'll be gone."
Burrell also claimed this behavior caused a rift between Prince Harry and Meghan and David and Victoria Beckham. "The Beckhams don't need Harry and Meghan. They're A-list celebrities in their own field. They don't need the support of Harry and Mehgan," Burrell continued. "But isn't it sad that the Beckhams were there at the wedding, as were the Obamas, as were the Clooneys. Where are they all now? They're beginning to see who Harry and Meghan are. And they do not want to be in the same sphere as them."
While it's unclear if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are indeed at odds with the Beckhams, one source mentioned that they had a misunderstanding, not because Markle took advantage of them but because the Sussexes purportedly accused the Beckhams of leaking stories to the press. This apparently led to a heated phone call between David and Harry. "Any making up now is so unlikely," the source told the Daily Mail.
He said Princess Diana would be disappointed in Harry
One of the major reasons for the reported rift between Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family is his and Meghan Markle's decision to step down as senior royals and trade the U.K. for sunny California. Now living it up in Montecito, dabbling in various entrepreneurial and philanthropic ventures, the couple appears to be thriving. But according to Paul Burrell, if Princess Diana were alive today, she'd be sorely disappointed by her son's choices.
"Harry's mother always said to him, 'the price you pay for this privileged life is a life of service'. And Harry chose not to do that, he chose to turn his back on it and live a lifestyle in Hollywood," he shared on "Lorraine" (via Yahoo! News). "It would not have happened if she'd been here, but she would have reminded Harry of his position and she would say to him you were born into this family, I'm proud that my sons are part of this family, and she was proud to be part of the Royal Family."
Ironically, Harry revealed in the "Harry and Meghan" Netflix documentary that Princess Diana had actually planned on moving to the very place he now calls home. "This is one of the places my mum was going to end up living, potentially, you know," he said (via Cosmopolitan). And funnily, this very fact was corroborated by Burrell himself in 2003. "A lovely house... saw all the plans for it. It was going to be in Malibu," he shared in a "Good Morning America" interview.
He doesn't think Meghan and Harry will last
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might believe they're living their happily-ever-after, but Paul Burrell is convinced their fairy tale will turn into a nightmare. He's doubling down on his claim that Markle has predatory behavior, suggesting that once she's done profiting off Harry, she'll move on to the next big catch.
"My belief is that this is all going to end in tears. I do believe that eventually, Harry will have served his purpose, and Meghan will move on. Because she has before, and she'll probably move on to a billionaire next time round who can support her in the lifestyle to which she's accustomed already," Burrell told GB News. "She already has two children who are a prince and princess, so Harry should look very closely at this and think, 'Well, what's going to happen to me next?'"
Burrell even put an expiration date on their relationship, predicting they'll split within ten years of tying the knot. He claims that everyone can see this coming — except Harry. "Everyone else realises that this is going to end in tears, but Harry's the last person who's actually gonna know this," Burrell dished. "And the sadness is, of course, he'll have to leave his children behind because they'll stay with their mother." It doesn't look like any uncoupling will happen anytime soon, though, as a source close to the couple shared with Us Weekly that they're stronger than ever. "They're a united front," they said. "As far as they're concerned, it's Harry and Meghan against the world."
He thinks Harry will eventually return to the UK in shame
Not long after, Paul Burrell seemed to contradict his earlier statement and said that Prince Harry is now privy to Meghan Markle's purported nefarious intentions. In another GB News interview, Burrell hinted that Harry might be seeing his wife for who she really is — or whatever Burrell thinks that is. "Am I the only person in the UK that is thinking, has Harry finally woken up to the truth? Has he finally seen the truth of what his wife is doing and that he's been brainwashed and mesmerized by her beauty or something?" he questioned.
Burrell also remains adamant that a split is inevitable. When it happens, he predicts Harry will have to swallow his pride and head back to the U.K. to mend his relationship with his family. "When it does happen, then he will return to the United Kingdom, and I think his father, the King, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, will both greet him back into the country with open arms," Burrell added, noting that the version of Harry that the public adores still exists.
But would Harry even consider that as he's already set roots in America? He even revealed that he was thinking of becoming an American citizen in the future, which might jeopardize his position in the line for the British throne. "I have considered it," he revealed in a February 2024 "Good Morning America" appearance. "It's a thought that has crossed my mind, but it's not a high priority for me right now."