The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Friday 30 July 2004

Prithee My Lords and Ladies.

The Jester would like to thank all of you who have written me commenting on columns or offering suggestions for future ones. I appreciate hearing from you, but I have a small favour to ask. You see although Geraldine has taken as many precautions as possible to avoid SPAM getting through to me, she can't prevent it arriving from other sources. So when you email me please put "Court Jester" in the subject line. That way I will know it is something I want to read. Many thanks to thee.

Now, on to the Jester's July Jollity- only there's nothing funny about it!

Royal Duty + Royal Obsession = Royal Pain

Earlier this month the Windsors, headed by The Queen, and the Spencers, officially opened the "Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain" in Hyde Park. The focus of Her Majesty's speech was on how much Diana was appreciated and missed by those who knew her best. At the same time the Jester was finishing Paul Burrell's' A Royal Duty. As the author freely admits, he is a man possessed, addicted and now adrift.

The publishers' liner notes state that this is "The story of a faithful subject and his moving tribute to the Queen and Princess he served". Yet in the conclusion to his 'Acknowledgements' Burrell writes that this book "is a legacy that certain people wanted to destroy from a man they tried to silence." So in the interests of journalistic integrity, and some confusion, I tried to read between the lines as well to find out who those 'certain people" might be.

For one thing there is nothing in this book that in any way denigrates Diana. He explains that his role during his care for her in illnesses and depressions, during the fall-outs and ramifications of her poor judgements, and the covert actions he took in arranging her clandestine affairs with men was simply the butler just doing his job. He freely admits he put her needs before his own family. When she was demanding, possessive and selfish with his time he let her take full advantage of him. He relished the power of it. He still does.

It is a memoir and as such one-sided. However it does confirm that despite what some media types would have the world believe, the Queen and Prince Philip were always supportive and caring of her, and she of them. Her actions were always justifiable and in his eyes The Boss could do no real wrong.

Diana acted rashly when she felt hurt or misunderstood and often said and did things that were not in her own best interests. But he paints a portrait of a loving mother and dedicated friend, who had convinced herself that she had a mission in life to act as an ambassador for Britain, travelling the world in search of humanitarian causes to help. She knew she had the media's attention and the high profile to accomplish this, and wanted to do important work. And she planned that he would be right there by her side.

It wasn't until after her death and the subsequent accusations and trial that the story gets a bit murky. Here is where Burrell ceases to be just the butler. Still, how could any man resist being called the captain of Diana's ship? And now that ship was sinking beneath him. Throughout the story he claims their relationship, at least in his mind, moved from servant to best friend to brother-and-sister. This was a situation that clearly the Spencers did not appreciate, nor condone. And they made it their business to publicly diminish his role in her life.

Now the Jester fully understands that gift giving to staff by the Royal Family is a practice as old as the institution itself. The present members have much more than they can ever hope to use and giving it away to people whose services they value is perfectly reasonable, and something the Spencers are well aware of.

After her unexpected death Burrell's first reaction was to keep taking care of Diana's property. He bundled up her belongings from Kensington Palace to store them in his own home, to safeguard them. As the Spencers moved in and shredded documents and took other things, perhaps he felt that her wishes, which he alone was privy to, would not be honoured. There was a media feeding frenzy at the trial, which sent him into a near-nervous breakdown. The police and prosecution (under Spencer influence?) refused to believe or consider that Diana gave him and his family all those valuable items. They would not listen to his side of the story, and the people who could have backed him up, Diana's friends, were not asked. It was all her secrets he was anxious to protect. He had written to both Prince Charles and Prince William about what he had taken, but it appears his letters had never reached them. They were told what others wanted them to believe.

It would be thought that after the Queen's recollection, which shut the whole circus down, that Burrell would want nothing more to do with the matter. But he wrote the book, and proceeded to do everything he could to promote it. He did interviews, went on television talk shows in the UK and US, and brought up passages in the text that were guaranteed to make headlines. In particular the letter Diana had written, alleging there were plots afoot to kill her off in a car accident, but covering up the name of the supposed plotter. After weeks of intrigue the name under the blank was revealed to be Prince Charles. However if you read that letter as printed in the book (page 326), it wasn't Charles but someone conspiring on his behalf (behind his back) is what it appears to mean.

In the shadow of Diana's mother's death, as the Windsors and Spencers shook hands, Burrell tried to remain in the public eye by writing and performing a revealing one-man show about his life with Diana. It closed almost immediately. This was after first complaining that he hadn't been invited to the Fountain opening, then agreeing that it was just as well as his presence might have detracted from the occasion.

He admits in the book that although he will go on, he will not let go. It is well past time for him to do exactly that. The public has clearly decided they are tired of his efforts. It is time for everyone to turn over everything of Diana's they are 'safekeeping' to William and Harry. Her 'boys' are responsible adults now and will take excellent care of their mother's memory. The Queen has, as usual, taken the high road in this matter. Mr. Burrell, the Jester implores you, do the same. Let The Boss's sons, her greatest legacy, keep her secrets safe from now on.

Your job is done.

Anon til we meet again!

- The Court Jester