Princess Diana’s former longtime butler Paul Burrell claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should be stripped of their royal titles following the release of the trailer for their “explosive” royal-bashing Netflix docuseries. The ex-servant dropped the bombshell during an interview with New York Post columnist Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
“You’re King Charles, what on earth do you [do] given that one of these two people trying to ruin everything you represent is your own son?” prompted Morgan, 57, who also hosts “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Fox Nation.
“You take away the titles, I agree with you, you do,” replied the retired royal aide, 64, who worked for the United Kingdom’s royal family for 21 years, most notably serving as the butler to Princess Diana until her death in 1997. “They don’t want to be members of the royal family, so why should they trade on royal titles?”
His remarks came ahead of the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s highly anticipated Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” coming out Dec 8. It will reportedly discuss how the pair were allegedly “bullied by the palace,” among other alleged bombshells, sources told Page Six.
Markle, 40, and Prince Harry, 37, arrived in New York City over the weekend to receive the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award on Dec. 6 for exemplifying “equity, justice and human rights” by allegedly taking a stand against the monarchy.
However, Burrell was less than impressed with their docuseries, which he claimed “smacked of self-obsessed narcissism.”
The former aide also declared that Princess Diana would have applauded Prince Harry for “protecting his family” but “wouldn’t have applauded what he is doing now.”
“The commercialism around it,” he said, noting that she “never took a penny from anyone else.”
Burrell said he found Prince Harry’s actions particularly depressing given his mother had been a “great supporter” of the royal family and was “very proud” that he and his older brother Prince William, 40, were part of it. The former palace staffer claimed it was “his job” to support his older brother along the road to becoming king, suggesting that by going against the family, Prince Harry was reneging on his royal obligations.
Upon mention of Liz Garbus-directed docuseries’ release date towards the end of the segment, Burrell claimed that he couldn’t “bear it,” and that the docuseries would no doubt “upset” him.
“Harry & Meghan” will have its first three episodes released on Netflix on Dec. 8 while three more episodes are slated to air on Dec. 15.
While the tell-all series’ subject matter has yet to be fully revealed, it will reportedly chronicle everything from “the early days of the couple’s courtship to the challenges and controversies that prompted them to step back from the royal family,” per Netflix.
Markle has described it as a way for the couple to share their side of the story.
“Harry and Meghan will discuss how they felt their best interests were not being represented by the palace, and they’ll talk about being victims of the palace media machine,” an anonymous source told Page Six.
Harry mentioned in one of the trailers that he feared “history would repeat itself” and that his wife would suffer the same fate as his late mother, Princess Diana.
“It’s a dirty game,” he said as footage of Diana and tabloid covers played on-screen. “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution.”
“I realized they’re never going to protect you,” Markle added.
Burrell isn’t the first to criticize Harry and Meghan amid the pending Netflix series. Morgan, who has been a vocal critic of the couple, took umbrage about his involuntary involvement in the trailer for the docuseries.
In the clip, the Brit can be heard claiming that Markle was “becoming a royal rock star” before she and Harry got married in 2018 — at a time when she was still positively perceived by the British public.
“BREAKING: Princess Pinocchio & Prince Hypocrite use my voice to flog their ghastly new series,” an irked Morgan tweeted along with the new “Harry & Meghan” trailer. “I’m traumatized by this exploitation.”
