Will and Harry Unlimited

...for November 2002

November 25, 2002 -

ORDER OF THE BATH, HARRY

PRINCE Harry gave dad a filthy look yesterday - and got a playful tweak on the nose in return.
It was all part of the fun as Charles turned out to see his very own Dirty Harry cover himself in mud and glory in the centuries-old Eton Wall Game.
His victorious team made history by scoring twice in the game _ - a cross between rugby, soccer and brutality which baffles everyone but the players.

Charles, though, was understandably proud of his 18-year-old son.
He watched the game with Harry's tutors and other dads.
As soon as it was over he squelched through the mire to congratulate Harry - and rib him over his appearance.
The closeness between father and son was clear as they stood alone chatting and joking. Charles reached out to hold Harry's shoulder then quickly withdrew his hand in mock disgust at the sight of his younger boy caked in mud from head to toe.

The fond exchanges were captured by the Daily Mirror after we were invited to watch Harry play in the annual match on Saturday.
We were the only newspaper to record Charles's private visit to the elite Berkshire school for the game - said to have inspired Harry Potter's Quidditch.

Afterwards one royal aide, referring to our Paul Burrell scoop, joked: "It looks like the Mirror's done it again."

"Harry, in his final year at Eton, brought a cheer from the 300-strong crowd by scaling down a brick wall with the other players to start the game.

The prince had daubed his face with blue and yellow warpaint - in keeping with a game which has been described as "brutal, pointless and extremely dangerous".
And, leaving no doubt about the determination of his Oppidans side to win, Harry was photographed with his nine team-mates in a special edition of the school magazine, The Chronicle, dressed in the style of an Al Capone gangster. His menacing look was completed with a wide-brimmed trilby hat, white suit, waistcoat and cane.

Harry's opponents included a friend who called himself "The Duchess of Dork". But the young royal signed on in the magazine simply as "Harry Wales Esq".

Torrential rain had swamped the field. And within minutes Harry's blue and red striped shirt and white trousers were covered in mud along with his face, hair, hands and legs, making it virtually impossible to tell him apart from the other players. At one point, he looked like being crushed under a mass of bodies as both sides tried to win control of the ball along the 118-yard wall against which the game is played.
But during a break in play he acted the clown by lying down flat in the mud, hands clasped behind his head.
And any pain he might have felt soon melted when his side scored a try. Such are the complicated rules of the game that scoring is rare. The last time anyone can remember it happening was nearly a decade ago.
Jubilant Harry celebrated by hugging his team-mates and performing a short victory dance. Then, minutes before the end, his side scored their unique second try.
It was a sweet moment for the prince, who appears to have put the furore over his pot smoking and underage drinking long behind him.
The teenage daredevil, who has tried his hand at most adventure sports including abseiling, scuba diving, skiing and polo, is no stranger to physical scrapes either.
Last June he damaged his ankle in an inter-house sporting encounter and had to limp around on dad's walking stick for weeks.
He needed surgery after he chipped a bone in his left thumb playing football. In 1996 he was so badly bruised while playing rugby at Eton he had to be taken to hospital.
And he still carries a scar on his foot after he accidentally put it through a plate glass window.
But he comes up smiling.

A family friend said: "Harry likes to let his hair down. He's full of fun and gets away with much more than his brother."

November 25, 2002 -

Wills is a muddy marvel
PRINCE William usually escapes Royal mud-slinging — but here he is spattered from head to toe out fox-hunting.

Wills, 20, was drenched in muck cantering in the countryside at the weekend.

An onlooker said: “It wasn’t just his jacket and shirt that got covered, his face did too.

“Heavy rain has turned everywhere into a mudbath.”

William got down and dirty at a meeting of the Beaufort Hunt in Gloucestershire while on a break from his studies at St Andrews University in Scotland.

November 18, 2002 -

WILLS GUARD DOUBLED
More armed teams as fears grow that student prince could be al- Qaeda

PRINCE William's security has been stepped up amid fears he could be a target for terrorists. New teams of armed bodyguards have been assigned to William at St Andrews University as part of massively heightened protection measures. As the Government warn of the increased threat of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network hitting Britain, it is understood security chiefs believe the Royal Family could be targets. And, as a university student living outside the royal residences, William is seen as possibly the softest option.

The Record has learned the details of the new security plans designed to protect William, but, in the interests of the prince's safety, has chosen not to publish them in full. However, his every move is now being tracked by several teams of armed guards and the security measures to protect him have been more than doubled.

A St Andrews resident said last night: "The number of foot patrols has increased and a couple of times I've seen a whole wagonload of
police parked outside his house.

"There are many more security vehicles surrounding his every move."

The extra protection for the young royal comes as airports and ferry terminals also tighten security. St Andrews may seem an unlikely target for an al-Qaeda strike but the royal resident heightens the risk. The added security should offer reassurance to the prince, who has
just returned to university after spending a week away from St Andrews.

William is now halfway through the first semester of his second year at the university, where he is studying geography and moral philosophy. The increased security coincides with St Andrews' most infamous
celebration - the annual Raisin Weekend. The weekend of drunken high jinks culminates today - Raisin Monday - in a massive foam fight in St Salvator's Quadrangle. It is understood that William will not take any part in the frolics
in the quad this year.

Asked about the increased security at St Andrews, a spokeswoman for St James's Palace said: "We never discuss or comment on security issues of any kind."

William's security has been a headache for Fife Police and taxpayers. It was revealed last month that St Andrews University's most famous
student had moved out from the halls of residence into a private home, which he is sharing with student friends. But his new home required huge security upgrades costing Ł500,000 before he was allowed to move in.

And it was the taxpayers who were expected to foot the bill for the work. At the same time, extra police have been drafted in to provide the young prince with round-the-clock protection.

In April, police chiefs were already asking for more money to pay for
protecting William during his frequent Balmoral breaks. Grampian Police said his stays at the Deeside estate were putting a strain on their resources as they had to draft in 25 extra officers
for each visit. The force claimed that they were struggling to meet the spiralling overtime costs.Fife Police got an additional Ł1.5million to cover security arrangements in St Andrews when the prince first started university.

But to ensure the second in line to the throne is safe at all times
and can also lead a relatively normal life, extra cash has been
forked out every few months.

It is understood that the costs of the latest measures will be borne by Special Branch and MI5 rather than Fife Police.

November 16, 2002 -

HAIRY TIME FOR HARRY
JUDGING by Prince Harry's hair, he might have been in the scrum
himself when he appeared at Twickenham for yesterday's thrilling
rugby international.

As the Prince settled down to watch England fight back to gain a 32-
31 victory over Australia, the bemused crowds couldn't help but gawp
at his new hair-do.

Sports-mad Harry, 18, who was accompanied 20-year-old student Nicola
Sturgis, took off his baseball cap to reveal the spiky new look.

One on-looker said: "Everyone around him couldn't help but chuckle."

November 15, 2002 -

BURRELL SONS THANK THE PRINCES
PAUL Burrell's sons sent a heartfelt message to old playmates Prince
William and Prince Harry yesterday and said: "Thanks for saving our
dad."

Alex Burrell 17, and Nick, 14, are the forgotten victims in the two-
year police witch-hunt which threatened to split a tightly-knit
family and send their beloved dad to jail for seven years.

The down-to-earth lads have a life story as unique as their father's
because, as children, they were Princess Diana's "second family" and
William and Harry were their best friends.

In a frank and mature interview, they have spoken of their inner
turmoil in coping with their dad's ordeal and spoken of the treasured
memories growing up with the young princes.

Alex said: "The past two years have been so depressing because dad is
the best. To have watched him break down and cry a lot has been so
very hard. The case should never have been brought but the police
were sadly and stupidly mistaken. Why did they put us all through
this?

"There were times when I would come home from school and dad was shut
away in a room on his own.

"He wouldn't go to the pub, he wouldn't meet anyone.

"I thought a lot about what would happen if dad went to prison. I
dreaded it. If the worst had happened, I would not have wanted to
live my life anymore." Alex bowed his head and couldn't talk anymore.

Nick - described as Diana's "favourite" - has also shouldered the
torment and has been selfless with it. He said: "I haven't talked to
mum or dad about what I was thinking - I didn't want them to worry
about me.

"I worried a lot about the jury coming back with a verdict. A lot of
innocent people go to prison and it could have happened to my dad. It
was on my mind all the time."

For the boys, it has been fitting the young princes have come out and
backed the royal butler - declaring their belief in his innocence and
how he was right to tell his true story.

Nick said: "I think it is quite brave of them to come forward like
they have. They didn't have to say anything but they did because they
knew the truth more than anyone.

"If I met them again, I'd just want to say 'Thank you for saving our
dad. You always knew dad was innocent, thank you.' "

Alex added: "William and Harry have saved our dad's reputation. Their
support was just what dad has wanted to hear for so long."

The Burrell boys shared their childhood - intimate and mischievous at
the same time - with the young princes. They were all part of one big
family at Highgrove and Kensington Palace.

As the Old Bailey trial heard, Alex and Nick "filled the void" in
Diana's life when William and Harry were away from her.

"She was like a surrogate mother to them at times," Lord Carlile QC
said.

For the past week - as rival newspapers levelled vicious personal
attacks and slurs against the royal butler - Paul and Maria have had
to shield their sons from tawdry headlines about their dad's private
life.

But the boys have detected their parents' pain and anxiety.

Alex said: "Some of the papers have made my dad's life a living hell.
I know that.

"It doesn't matter to me or Nick what they say about him.

"We don't mind - he is our dad and we love him."

He now believes that there should be a reunion and links re-
established between the Burrells and the Waleses. And he added: "We
all shared secrets as a family - and none of us would let the princes
down."

Since the princes backed the man they used to call "Uncle Paul", it
is now expected that they will meet him again for the first time in
five years at "an appropriate time".

Alex said: "Dad was with the princes through thick and thin. He was
the closest man in their life for a long time and helped bring them
up.

"It would be an emotional reunion. William and Harry know what my dad
was like with their mum. Dad could have dished the dirt but dad
stayed loyal. He would never, ever, have let them down."

Now, after the Queen's intervention in the trial and the princes'
personal backing this week, Alex believes bridges should be rebuilt.

He said: "It is important that a connection with my dad and their mum
is kept. I don't think there would be anything nicer for me to read
about than dad meeting with the princes.

"William and Harry are the only part of Diana's life which is left
and their link is with my dad. They have so much of the past in
common. It would be sad to lose all that."

The terrible toll of the theft charges against Paul on his children
become clear in Nick's heartrending account.

He remembers the police in the hallway on the day of the arrest in
January 2001. "Then I saw dad in the office - and he was crying," he
said.

He remembers the day the trial collapsed. He was called into the
deputy headmaster's office at school.

Nick said: "He told me 'Your dad's case has been thrown out of the
window.' I shook his hand. Then I hugged him."

Alex was equally overwhelmed. He said: "It felt as if we had all been
stuck in a black tunnel, come into the light and smelled the fresh
air."

Now the ordeal is over, they can reflect on treasured memories.

Nick said: "My dad says the princess used to say I was an old soul in
a young man's body. I was her favourite, he used to tell me.

"The princess and me both liked collecting crystals. She told me that
when she came back from Paris, she would take me to London and buy me
some more. I was really excited...but of course she never came home."

Both boys remember Prince William's custom-made Aston Martin
motorised miniature car whizzing around the grounds of Highgrove.
Nick said: "It was quite fast and only William was allowed to drive
it.

"One morning, he scraped the car down the side on a brick wall and he
got into a lot of trouble for it!"

The Burrells and Waleses also shared a sense of mischief. Nick
said: "The princess used to get the police to drive up and down in
their cars while we tried to hit them with water balloons fired out
of a massive catapult.

"I remember another time when Alex and William climbed inside a food
lift at Kensington Palace and it got stuck. No-one knew they were in
there and they were in there for 15 minutes shouting 'Let me out, let
me out'."

Aged six, Nick had little knowledge of royal protocol at Highgrove.

He recalled: "I saw Prince Charles dressed up for an engagement and I
said to him 'Hello prince, you look smart. Where are you going?' I
think he was quite surprised."

To the boys, Paul was dad and not the butler. Except on one occasion.

Nick said: "I remember when dad actually served us. We had been
invited to a formal dinner with William and Harry and the princess
and dad came round with the vegetables. I think it was the first and
last time he has ever done that!" Such anecdotes will stay with the
Burrell children for the rest of their lives.

Alex said: "They were great times, amazing times. Not because of who
they were. Royalty is an entirely different life and growing up
within the royal household was incredible.

"We were all great mates. We would mess around and all pick on Nick.
William and Harry were mates, like anyone else.

"No snobbishness about them, great company, easy to get along with.
They never looked upon themselves as princes. They thought that
grandma was the Queen and that was it.

"Looking back, it sounds weird but what we had with William and Harry
was a genuine friendship.

"We lived and grew up with the princes and, in a way, it has made me
who I am."

Alex knows that when he is a father one day, he will be able to say
one special thing. He said: "When I've got kids, I'll be able to tell
them 'See that King of England - he used to be my best mate.' "

November 11, 2002 -

The crowd who cheered on the England rugby team against New Zealand on Saturday included a royal element – 20-year-old Prince William.

With a trendy knit cap pulled down over his ears, the St Andrews University student could have been mistaken for any handsome young fan. The Prince, who sported a Remembrance Day poppy on his jacket, also sang God Save The Queen along with the other England supporters who fought off the chill from the stands.

And surely Wills felt it was well worth braving the cold – England beat the All Blacks with a final score of 31-28, marking their first victory against the New Zealand team in nearly a decade.

Saturday's match was the second time the All Blacks team crossed paths with the royal family last week. Members of the squad met with William's grandmother, the Queen, for tea at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

November 7, 2002 -

I'M NOT ANGRY SAYS WILLIAM

PRINCE William has privately shown his support for Paul Burrell despite reports that he was upset by the butler's revelations.

Suggestions that Wills had nicknamed Burrell "Paul the Betrayer" have been denied.

A source at St James's Palace said last night: "The prince does not see Paul as someone who has betrayed his mother. He does not believe he is betraying her memory."

The source added: "Following an article in the Evening Standard in which William is said to have called him Paul The Betrayer it is important that people know William has not said that. He has not made any comment following the reporting of the Burrell trial."

The Palace aide contacted newspapers to make certain that William's true feelings were known.

Buckingham Palace also expressed the Queen's views yesterday. A source said: "There is no suggestion here that the Queen is furious or unhappy with The Mirror's coverage. The Queen has not said anything.

"The conversation they had is regarded as private and confidential and nothing more is being said on the Queen's reaction."

Paul yesterday sent a personal message to William and Harry telling them: "I will never betray you. I will not change. My middle name is loyalty. Their trust in me is not misplaced. If they look deep in their hearts they will know that." The ex-butler, who gave the Daily Mirror his exclusive story, spoke out after a 64-page statement prepared for his defence and never meant to be made public was stolen from his lawyers' offices and details published in other newspapers.

The Mirror yesterday ran Paul's 39-page statement to police.

Paul told them not to worry. "I will never betray your mother or you for as long as I live," he said.

"Some things will go to my grave with me. You have nothing to fear from me. I want the boys to know that some of the things that are being printed in other newspapers have not come from my mouth.

"I had to be honest to my legal team and I gave them certain examples to illustrate how close I was to the princess. It was vital to my defence against theft allegations.

"Those details were never intended to be made public. But now other people have got hold of my statement and it makes me feel sick."

Some of his appeal to the princes was in a coded message which he said only they would understand.

He spoke to them: "Remember what we said and how we felt standing in that special place in Kensington Palace. Our hearts were breaking. You will know I will always protect you. If I betray you, I will be betrayed everything I ever felt or thought, everyone I stand for, and I will never do that."

Paul said Harry wept on his shoulder when the boys returned to their mother's Kensington Palace home for the last time after her death.

He said: "Harry ran across and hugged me. He wept on my shoulder, soaking my shirt. He knew my heart was breaking as much as theirs."

He is disgusted that his statement made to his lawyers was stolen. Paul said: "Someone is working behind the scenes to destroy me."

His barrister Lord Carlile said: "I was shocked to see details of a statement Paul never wished to be released being printed."

His agent David Warwick revealed he'd been offered Ł2million to pull out of the Mirror's deal at the 11th hour.

Mr Warwick was promised a bung, believed to have come from The Sun's parent company News International, for his trouble. He said: "It was an extraordinary thing and I feel offended they would stoop so low."

But Paul trusted Mirror reporter Steve Dennis, who had struck up a friendship with him over the last five years, to tell his story straight.

-THE jury in Paul's trial were brought back to the Old Bailey yesterday to hear why the case had collapsed. They had been sent home on Tuesday while legal submissions were heard. Staff rang them on Friday to tell them the case was over.

November 6, 2002 -

William's anger at butler

The growing anger of Princes William and Harry over the "betrayal" by royal butler Paul Burrell has been revealed by senior palace sources.

William is said to be furious at Burrell's decision to cash in on his mother's memory and now feels "vindicated" that he called him "Paul the Betrayer".

After the collapse of the Old Bailey trial, William had been racked with guilt and told aides that he hoped to be reconciled with his mother's former butler. But since the publication of the intimate revelations the Prince has told friends: "I was right all along. He cannot be trusted."

Prince Harry is also said to be "deeply affected" by the way his mother's private life is being raked over by someone he had trusted.

Palace sources have revealed that Burrell's meeting with the Queen, which led to the collapse of his trial, lasted only minutes, not three hours as he has claimed. They are amazed that he claims she told him: "Be careful Paul, nobody has ever been closer to a member of my family than you were to Diana. There are powers at work in this country about which we have no knowledge."

Burrell alleges: "She fixed me with a stare and told me to be vigilant. She was deadly serious." Buckingham Palace is making no comment about the private meeting. But a senior member of the royal household said: "It is almost inconceivable that the Queen would discuss matters of national security such as the work of the secret services with a servant.

"This is the kind of subject she might discuss in total confidence with her Prime Minister, but not with a butler."

Burrell's revelations are made in today's Daily Mirror which has paid a reputed Ł400,000 for his story. He is also to appear on ITV's Tonight With Trevor McDonald, which will show his "video diary" of the six months leading up to the trial. Buckingham Palace fears the case could open the floodgates for hundreds of servants to breach their confidentiality agreements - like the one signed by Burrell - by revealing more of the royal family's secrets. Burrell's claims include:

* The Queen told him she "tried to reach out" to Diana "so many times".

* Allegations that the Spencer family tried to destroy Diana's memory and crush him.

* His meeting with the Queen was like "talking to my mum".

* Diana begged surgeon Hasnat Khan to marry her and considered tricking him by becoming pregnant.

* She made a tape recording of the testimony of a male servant who claimed he was raped by another member of staff.

*Diana planned to move to California and take him with her.

* She carried a credit card in the name of Mrs Wales and called Ł 50 notes " Pink grannies".

* Burrell's defence QC "almost fell off his chair" as he learned of the full details of the meeting with the Queen.

However, Burrell's claims have unleashed another series of dramatic revelations which include:

* Claims that Burrell himself faced being sacked by the Princess.

* He begged to be moved to another royal post.

* His marriage is in difficulty because of the stress of the trial.

* He lied about being the only non-Spencer at Diana's burial.

Today Burrell gave his account of the crunch palace meeting and claimed he wanted to "put his arms" around the Queen. In the meeting, Burrell said that at the time he did not understand her warning. "There were many she could have been referring to," he said. "But she was clearly warning me to be vigilant.

"I had seen her stare at people before. I knew how she liked to handle people. I knew what all her stares meant. I was left in no doubt what this one meant. She meant 'Be careful Paul'."

Referring to the conversation which led to the prosecution being dropped, Burrell said he told the Queen: "I intend to protect the Princess's world and keep safe her secrets and to keep documents and artefacts which she gave me." He added: "Her Majesty listened to what I had to say. She understood. She did not object."

The conversation took place in November 1997, two months after Diana's death. "For once in my life, I felt a rushing surge of emotion and wanted to embrace her," he said. "I knew the Queen was hurting like me. But even though we were alone, I couldn't put my arms around her because she is a queen. I didn't see the concern of a queen or the head of state - I saw the concern of a mother.

"I felt her pain and could sense she was distressed. But, as always, she maintained her composure, all I could do was comfort her with the reassurance that Diana knew Her Majesty was not an enemy."

He claimed the Queen told him she had tried to heal her rift with Diana and said: "People have always said there was a rift between the two but that is so wrong. Letters never stopped being sent to and fro between the Queen and the princess until the very end."

November 5, 2002 -

Pssst...Prince Harry has been crowned 2002's most dateable "stud" by society magazine Tatler. The magazine puts him in pole position - but his older brother, Prince William, hasn't even made the top 10.

Harry's "Bad boy of Buckingham Palace" image puts him top of the glossy's list of the 100 most desirable.

According to judges, his "naughty but nice" appeal puts him head and shoulders above the rest on the social barometer.

Others who make the top 10 include: Kylie Minogue's former squeeze, model James Gooding; Dan Macmillan, the former boyfriend of Kate Moss and Jade Jagger and heir to a Ł300 million publishing fortune; Prince Nikolaos of Greece; and, somewhat surprisingly, Popstars reject Darius Danesh.

Tatler editor Geordie Greig, 41, said: "Harry has suddenly emerged as the young royal who has just come of age and is naughty but nice. By a huge majority, he was voted the most desirable new guy on the block."

He added: "He's got a sense of mischief. There's a certain energy and irreverence, wit and fun about him. He is clearly good-looking and a young man who people are going to watch and girls have got their eye on."

On why Prince William has not make it to the top of the list this time around, Greig said: "William has been in the top 10 before but now he's a serious student in Scotland and it's more difficult for him to hit the social scene. He was No 1 two years ago and in the top 10 last year."

Darius Danesh, most famous for his performance of Britney Spears's Baby One More Time in Popstars, makes the No 5 spot because "people love the underdog". Darius went on to hit the top of the charts with his debut single Colourblind.

Kylie's ex, James Gooding, makes No 8 because "he's used to glamourous women and isn't overawed by them".

Perhaps the most bizarre entry is reclusive Lucian Freud, aged 79, in at No 2. Greig claims he made the list of "top boys" because he put on the most powerful show by a living artist for years.

He said: "He suddenly became very hot as a genius with a brilliant capacity to capture and enjoy life." And, apparently, he "has more youth genes than anyone on this planet".

Rather predictably, the magazine lists Gwyneth Paltrow as the most dateable siren of 2002. She heads a top 10 including Lady Gabriella Windsor, journalist Plum Sykes and Jessica de Rothschild. Amusingly, Sir Mick Jagger's daughter Jade does battle with his former girlfriend, Sophie Dahl. Notable omissions are Elizabeth Hurley, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Lady Victoria Hervey.

Greig said: "This list is about sex appeal - you either have it you haven't."

November 2, 2002 -

WILLS: I FEEL GUILTY
PRINCE William is tortured by guilt - because he feels he let down Paul Burrell in his hour of need, The People can reveal.

The young Royal desperately wanted Burrell prosecuted after police briefed him about the theft allegations facing his mother's former butler. Outraged William even branded him Paul The Betrayer.
But after Burrell's dramatic acquittal on all charges on Friday, William realises his view was "poisoned" by what the officers told him. He is desperately hoping he can make his peace with Princess Diana's loyal servant.

A Royal aide said: "He feels a degree of guilt. He feels he let Burrell down. He is hurt at the moment."

And as William battles with his remorse, we can also reveal that Prince Charles was always against Burrell being taken to court - and urged as recently as two months ago that the case be dropped. William, 20, had always liked and trusted Burrell - but his attitude changed dramatically after a secret meeting with police on August 3 last year. Three senior Scotland Yard officers and Treasury counsel drove to Highgrove to talk to Prince Charles and his sons about the investigation into the alleged theft of Princess Diana's property. They wrongly claimed Burrell had been selling royal items abroad. They also said - again incorrectly - that there was a photo of him posing in Diana's clothes.
William was particularly shocked and angered to learn that among hundreds of items seized at Burrell's home were pictures of the young Prince with supermodels including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell. Wills believed the photos had been sent on to the beauties. He did NOT know that Diana had decided against sending the pictures after news of her son's meeting with the girls at Kensington Palace had leaked out.

The Princess had handed the photos to Burrell instead and told him to "get rid of them".

The butler threw them in a box and forgot about them until police found the pictures in the attic of his house in Farndon, Cheshire. But the police convinced William that Burrell - the man her mother called "My rock" - had taken treasured personal items to which he was not entitled.

At the time, Wills was vulnerable to suggestions that his mother was being betrayed by former staff.

Her private secretary Patrick Jephson had already made Ł2million from his book Shadows of a Princess, which painted an unflattering picture of Diana. An insider said: "William turned against Burrell dramatically after his meeting with the officers.

"They poisoned his view of the butler. After that he referred to him as Paul The Betrayer.

"They wrongly convinced him that he had been up to no good. For him, it was just another example of one of his mother's trusted aides walking all over her memory to make money. He wanted it to stop and thought the prosecution of Paul would be a good way to do it.

"Now he is racked with remorse. He realises he was mistaken to back the prosecution against Paul so zealously.

"But he was sick and tired of the idea that people he and his mother once trusted were exploiting them."

In contrast to William's stance, his father had tried for over a year to stop Burrell's prosecution. Prince Charles was never convinced of the servant's guilt and was worried the police were seeking a "trophy conviction".

Just two months ago Charles's private secretary Sir Michael Peat had a meeting with police and Diana's eldest sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale to say the case should not go ahead. But according to Royal insiders, Charles's lawyer Fiona Shackleton had come to believe it was right to prosecute Burrell. She thought it was what William wanted. Charles, who has run up a legal bill of over Ł150,000, remained opposed but the case went ahead.
He was furious when it emerged in court that he had been "grossly misled" at the Highgrove summit with police. The case collapsed when it emerged that the Queen recalled Burrell speaking to her about looking after Diana's belongings. A source close to Charles told The People: "The Royals, and William in particular, will renew their contact with Paul Burrell.

"Charles was never fully convinced the case should go ahead. When he heard of the Queen's meeting with Burrell he leapt on it."

November 2, 2002 -

PRINCE William KNEW about the Queen's secret meeting with Paul Burrell—but chose not to tell police.
We can sensationally reveal that William was aware of the former royal butler's three hour-audience with his grandmother in which he'd told her he was keeping items from Princess Diana's estate. But even though the 20-year-old Prince had a lengthy meeting with detectives investigating Burrell—whose Old Bailey trial dramatically collapsed on Friday—he remained silent.

"He didn't tell the police, he didn't tell his father," said a family friend. "He was directly involved in the investigation but stayed silent.
"One word from him would have stopped the case in its tracks. Paul wouldn't even have been charged, let alone gone to trial at the Old Bailey. This nightmare need never have started."
Last night a St James's Palace spokeswoman confirmed our startling revelation which will further fuel the growing mystery about the Royal Family's motives in the affair.
It completely contradicts a Buckingham Palace statement on Friday that ONLY the Queen and Burrell knew of their meeting.
Confided

The spokeswoman said: "Prince William knew about the meeting between the Queen and Paul Burrell. He did not pass on that information to the police and didn't know anything about what was said."
But it is understood he confided his knowledge to at least one senior royal adviser only to be told: "Let this be our little secret, William."
Burrell's bodged trial—which cost Ł1.5 million—was halted by the direct intervention of the Queen when she remembered the conversation they had had in October 1997 just after Diana's death.
Burrell, 44—so close to Diana she described him as her "rock"—told Her Majesty he had taken some of the princess's papers for safe-keeping.
The prosecution's case that he had stolen more than 300 items of her property rested on claims that Burrell had told no one he was looking after items from the princess's estate.
The Queen only stepped in thanks to a chance conversation she had with Prince Charles about the case. Until then, claim royal aides, she didn't know the relevance of the information.
"The thing is, William DID know it was relevant," said one family friend. "He knew all the facts of the case.
"He's been talking about little else for six months."
William had been present at a meeting at Highgrove—Prince Charles's Gloucestershire estate—when he and his father were briefed on the case by Scotland Yard detectives.
They were told—falsely—that Burrell's bank balance had soared and that police had found evidence that he had been offering Diana's treasures for sale overseas.
Both claims were untrue and during the trial police had to admit they'd misled Charles and William.
But now, in the aftermath of the ordeal, the Burrell family have been stunned to learn of William's silence at a crucial early stage in the investigation.
The young prince had grown up alongside Burrell's sons and had once looked on the butler as a close family friend.
"It is incredible. William must have had his reasons but it will be hard for Paul to understand," said one.
"If William had told the police that his grandmother had talked for three hours with Paul, they would have to have started asking questions of her. That would have been the end of the case."
Yesterday William was hunting with the Beaufort Hunt near Highgrove on a weekend break from his college studies at St Andrew's University in Scotland.
And at Windsor the Queen looked lost in thought as she rode out from the castle. Now Prince Charles is expected to order an internal review into how the Burrell case ever got so far.
He had been advised by his solicitor that they had no choice but to co-operate with the inquiry.
A royal source said: "The real tragedy in this case is that someone might have gone to prison all because a handful of people couldn't be bothered to talk about it. The Prince of Wales is very concerned and wants to make sure that Paul is treated fairly."
Yesterday Burrell and his wife Maria, 48, were lying low at a secret northern hideaway with his two sons—away from his home in the Cheshire village of Farndon.
Last night the ex-butler's father Graham, 68, said his son had been "put through hell" since being accused of stealing from his former employer.
Graham said: "People tried to make out Paul wasn't as close as he said he was to Diana, but he was. He was very close.
"I had audiences with Diana and whenever I saw her she would call me her grandad. She used to put her arm in mine and say: 'Come on, grandad, we'll go for a walk'."
Graham, who still lives in the family home in Grassmoor, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, revealed that Paul had told him about his crucial conversation with the Queen.
"He told me he had an audience with Her Majesty just after the Princess's death," said Graham.
"He said, ‘Nobody knows what we talked about, but it will come out.'
"Paul still hasn't had a say—it was all prosecution at the trial. But if he had had to take the stand I can assure you he had an answer for everything."
Last night it emerged that the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC had been brought into the Burrell case as early as last Monday.
Concerned

As Britain's senior law officer he was asked for a view on the case by the prosecution.
"His advice was sought and given. But the decisions were made by the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecuting counsel," said a spokesman.
Meanwhile speculation continues to grow over why the Queen did not step in earlier to stop Burrell's ordeal.
Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews—himself a QC—said: "The Queen is no different from any of us in this respect. She had listened to this case.
"She had evidence to give which would have helped this poor man who was charged with these offences.
"Of course she should have come forward. She or somebody should have said 'I think we can help with this case'.
"Of course there are ways of dealing with this. She could have put this in the public domain a very long time ago. Of course the question has to be asked why didn't she do so."
But constitutional expert Lord St John of Fawsley defended the Queen, saying: "She was very well aware of the case and was concerned about it.
"One of the first things she did on returning from Canada was to raise the question. It is a very delicate question of timing. But the Queen is not a lawyer.
"If she had done it earlier the Queen would have been accused of a cover-up.
"She came to the conclusion that something needed to be said and quite rightly the meeting with Paul Burrell was brought to the attention of the police.
"The Queen is aware of her constitutional duty and has a strong sense of justice. As ever the Queen is blameless and emerges with the utmost credit."

November 1, 2002 -

PAUL BURRELL TRIAL - CASE CLOSED

In a stunning turn of events, Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell has been acquitted on all charges. On Friday, trial judge Mrs Justice Rafferty announced that the former royal employee had been formally found not guilty of theft and discharged the jury.

The trial, which had been in its third week, came to a dramatic end after it emerged that Mr Burrell had spoken to the Queen about the Princess' belongings in a "private meeting" after Diana's 1997 death.

"On Monday this week the prosecution was informed by the police that during a private meeting with the Queen in the weeks following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Mr Burrell had mentioned to the Queen that he had taken some of the Princess's papers for safe-keeping," prosecutor William Boyce QC revealed. "No response was sought by Mr Burrell from the Queen and Her Majesty made no comment."

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "The decision to drop the case against Mr Burrell was entirely a decision for the prosecution. As a prosecution statement to the court made clear this morning, the Queen was not briefed on either Mr Burrell's defence case or on the prosecution case against him. The prosecution did not ask the Queen at any stage for details about her meeting with Mr Burrell."

Mr Burrell's solicitor Andrew Shaw said on his behalf : "He is happy and relieved to be acquitted on all the charges after the terrible ordeal of the last 21 months."

As he left the courtroom in a visibly emotional state, Mr Burrell said: "I am thrilled. I am thrilled… The Queen has come through for me."

Mr Shaw later commented: "Mr Burrell remains totally loyal to Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen, who he served in a personal capacity for ten years… It is to his utmost credit and dignity that it was only this week that he instructed his lawyers as to the full terms of the conversation. These terms were confirmed by the Queen this morning."