A Royal Duty

by Paul Burrell

Paper Book, 2003

Collection

Description

The untold story behind one of the most sensational chapters in the history of the House of Windsor. Paul Burrell fought to clear his own name and now he reveals new truths about Princess Diana and presents an account of her thoughts.

Rating

½ (76 ratings; 3.5)

Media reviews

This book is as a result of royal butler Paul Burrell's arrest in January 2001 on suspicion of taking a piece of Princess Diana's personal jewelry. It is a fascinating insight to the staff intricacies at Buckingham Palace, as well as into the lives of some of the Royal Family, by someone who was
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right in the thick of things.

Burrell was a footman to the Queen for 10 years and was around when the young Lady Diana first surfaced. He married palace worker Maria Cosgrove and then left for Highgrove, the weekend home of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as their butler. Burrell's two children grew up playing with the young princes William and Harry and he and his wife became closer to Princess Diana and subsequently left to become her butler when she and Prince Charles separated and Diana went to live at Kensington Palace in London.

He tells of Diana's need to confide in someone and she began trusting him more and more. He witnessed many goings-on, both at home and abroad, and her desperate need to be herself when her husband was living his own life. He touches on most aspects of the princess' life with respect and dignity. He was by her side when she made her TV program and admitted adultry (after Prince Charles had done exactly the same) and finally through her very public divorce. He also mentions her (and other royals) generosity and their passing on of gifts of appreciation over the years. With the press charting her every move, guessing her thoughts and conversations, the public never really got the whole story. Burrell, having spent so much time with the princess, paints a believable and rather sad picture of the woman the world came to love. He also makes very clear the relationship Princess Diana had (or not) with her own family. Whether you loved or hated her, you had to admire her. Not only for her beauty but for her exceptionally compassionate heart. The princess wrote Burrell a prophetic letter the year preceding her death where she expressed her fear at being in an arranged "accident".

Conclusion - A most enlightening and very enjoyable, if not sad book. One I have been waiting for as I grew bored with media speculation.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member AnneBrear
I read this book after years of not wanting to. I put it off because I didn't know how truthful it would be. My timing of reading it and the Royal wedding was bittersweet, as it made me sad that Diana wasn't there to see William get married.
However, I did enjoy the book very much. I think Burrell
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was candid and truthful in many ways. I liked the background information of his life before starting his career with the Queen. I didn't know he worked for the Queen, or that his wife worked for the Duke of Edinburgh before they moved to the Prince and Princess of Wales' staff.
I found his stories of the time with the Queen extremely interesting, especially her feeding the corgis herself.
Overall, I felt very sorry for Burrell and his utter devotion for Diana, the Princess of Wales, which left a large gap in his life when she died, that even his wife and sons didn't seem to fill. I wasn't surprised to hear that he has since divorced his wife. That is rather tragic.
I think he was lost after the princess’s death and the subsequent court case shattered him and his world, which is understandable.

If you like learning about royal life behind closed doors, then this is a good book to read.
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LibraryThing member carterchristian1
He was one of the last servants attending Diana. However, before working for the Princess he worked directly for the Queen. The earlier section devoted to Her Majesty are the most interesting, revealing little tidbits of personal observation. One of the most amusing is her wearing the crown she
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would wear for a state occasion in a dressing gown, performing routine paperwork, getting used to its weight.
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LibraryThing member mazda502001
I was in two minds whether to buy this book or not but I felt it only fair to read what the author had written and I am so glad that I did. I am sure that Paul Burrell has written an honest account of his life with the Princess and I also feel that Diana herself would have approved of the book and
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the way in which it is written. The author obviously only ever had the Princess's well-being at heart and I don't think he would ever have done anything to hurt her or her memory.

Back Cover Blurb:
The untold story behind one the most sensational chapters in the history of the House of Windsor. Paul Burrell fought to clear his name. Now he reveals startling new truths about Diana, Princess of Wales - and presents for the first time as faithful an account of her thoughts as we can ever hope to read.
He was the favourite footman who formed a unique relationship with the Queen. He was the butler whom the Princess of Wales called 'my rock' and 'the only man I can trust'. He was accused of theft, then acquitted following the historic intervention of the monarch. He was the Princess's most intimate confidant - and is the only person able to seperate the myth from the truth of the Diana years.
Now, at last, Paul Burrell cuts through the gossip and the lies and takes us closer to the complex heart of the Royal Family than ever before.
It's the story of how a boy from a coal-mining village came to swap terraced streets for gilded palaces. It's a story of shocking secrets, absolute power and unlikely alliances, told through firsthand insights and astounding material, including previously unseen letters and photographs. It's a story that will rewrite history and stand alone as the archive of Diana's time as a royal. It is a moving tribute from a faithful subject to the two remarkable women he served.
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LibraryThing member dara85
This book proves my thoughts that Diana was a very down to earth, generous and often lonely person. I look forward to the time that William is king, as I believe Diana taught him through her actions how to be humble, giving and champion of the downtrodden. If you are intersted in the Royal Family
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parts of this book are revealing.
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LibraryThing member briannad84
I thought this was an amazing book and must definately get myself a copy sometime!! I loved it! It was really cool to learn about how the etiqutte works in Buckingham Palace and all the little personal facts about the Queen, her mother, and Diana. And it was very hard not to cry when reading about
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her death. I remember the day I heard about her death, what I was doing and everything even though I was like 13 at the time! He did seem a bit obsessive though...it was a wonder his wife didn't accuse him of an affair! But Burrell does make butlers seem cool! He was obviously very dedicated to what he did,but he just seemed obsessed.
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LibraryThing member LindaGail
The butler for Diana, the Princess of Wales, tells an eye-opening story about how he came to work for the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales. He tells also about how he was accused of stealing possessions after Diana's death but was exonerated by the Queen in the end. Paul remained true to
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Diana in making sure that her legacy would live as she really was and not as some wished. Excellent book
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LibraryThing member kaitomono
Interesting personal daily life details told from butler/friend perspective. No big secrets revealed.
LibraryThing member pathogenik
The book is mainly Burell's autobiography. It is slow, full of uninteresting bits about the royal family and where they live and what they do... It made me dislike them all the more. It was a disappointing book, and so far many of us in the book club gave up on this book.
LibraryThing member susandennis
This was a little more interesting that I thought it would be. Still pretty much one guy's attempt to counter his bad press. It did include some interesting inside info on the interworkings of the British royal family and their households.

Publication

New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2003.

Pages

x; 405

ISBN

0399151729 / 9780399151729

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