The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Thursday 14 November

A Miscarriage of Justice

Who has had the time to read all that is being written about the Paul Burrell trial? To me it is fascinating how it went from the Butler who sold valuable memorabilia and wore woman's frocks to the vigilant protector of the memory of one of the century's most beloved personalities - the late Diana Princess of Wales. The charade that turned the would be villain into a heroic defender of truth, justice and history was played out in one of the world's oldest courts of law pitting the Spencer's', one of England's oldest aristocratic families, against the servant of their deceased daughter/sister. It continues to be better than any soap opera as it is a real life human drama playing on the world's stage - especially since the Burrell's (his wife has joined the cause) are now in New York fighting the allegations that Paul leads a secret life as a gay man.

Again, I haven't made it through each and every article written, but I have been following along and wondering how all the petty details are really part of the big picture. For example, what was the real reason behind the police raiding Mr. Burrell's home? At first I believed that Harold Brown, another royal butler, who was accused of stealing the jeweled dhow, among other high ticket items, may have made a leading remark prompting the investigation of other butlers such as Burrell. (Mr. Brown's trial is next. I wonder what effect this fiasco will have upon it?) Of course we were fed the story that Diana's sister was the one who put the police on Burrell's trail. The reason given was also believable - jealousy. Today, I'm more confused than ever about what set the trial in motion.

The Windsor's, it seems to me, always had far more to lose than gain by a trial so I'd never understood why the situation was let go this far. Then we heard of the misleading evidence that the CPS provided to Princes Charles and William. I'm sure they felt that they would be able to turn up evidence to support their suppositions. We know now that never happened but we also have at least some understanding of what the motivation to let the case go to trial may have been. I'm shocked that the advisors to Her Majesty and Prince Charles didn't advise them differently from the beginning. Though Mr. Burrell had never spoken out against the royal family before, it is obvious that when placed under investigation by the Crown Protection Service, he'd have to provide evidence to support his position. As a matter of fact, his QC made statements on the matter. I remember him saying something like he will share all he must to clear Burrell's good name. Problem was, no one took him seriously. Could this have been due to the CPS promising to bury Mr. Burrell with their evidence that never surfaced?

The Spencers' acted like Spencers. No Surprise there. They admitted the rifts that existed between them and Diana as if it were normal. (Though in their circles dysfunction appears to be the norm.) They admitted to shredding documents of Dianna's. They brought forth people who supported their case in a volley of he said / she said that had no apparent basis in concrete fact. Theirs seems to be an emotional rather than logical case. Then there is Burrell's report that Earl Charles Spencer, Diana's younger brother, changed the Royal Standard on Diana's coffin for the Spencer Family Standard. At first Earl Spencer refuted this charge and then his denial was retracted. On other points it is difficult to judge how much has been skewed due to time past and emotion. None of it is pretty.

The Windsors' at first went forward as if nothing of note was going on anywhere in the country. The Queen and Prince Philip were in Canada. Charles continued his duties. William moved into his apartment with his mates one of whom is a lingerie model without the hullabaloo that could have surrounded the event due to the interest in the trial. The Duchess of Kent bought property so as not to have to spend all her time in Kensington Palace - that too was relegated to a brief paragraph buried in the back of the paper. Edward and Sophie were apparently enjoying a moment when all eyes were not on them. Andrew was Andrew, going about his business and letting his family run itself while his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, shared the fact that she plans to have another child whether or not she marries again. Let's not forget the Princess Royal who will be appearing in court herself over the behavior of her 'vicious' dogs. Nothing unusual about these activities, wouldn't you agree?

What is the outcome? How will this affect the Monarchy in the long run? Who won and who lost? In my opinion there are no winners in this fiasco. Everyone involved has lost a great deal. Paul Burrell lost two years of his life in anticipation of the trial and I'm sure his wife and their two sons who shared this burden lost quite a bit as well. He is continuing to lose his good name by the revelations he has shared and with the promise of more to come. The Windsor's now have to face the fact that many serious issues have been raised including the questioning of the Sovereigns Immunity and prerogative. Republicanism is running very high, which is never good. People are questioning the validity of rights of the Sovereign as well as the need to have one. The Spencers' have emerged looking like petty people not above using the law to settle a score. The tabloids are dragging Paul Burrell and the remains of his life through the wringer. The Police are looking like they do as they choose rather than follow protocol. The attorneys aren't looking much better. No one is coming out of this smelling anywhere near as lovely as the Princess Diana rose - not even Diana for whom this lovely scented rose was named.

Sadly, I believe Paul Burrell is the worst off of all, as he seems to have been pushed into a place that he never wanted to be. He is now heavily in debt and having sold his story to the Mirror and agreeing to an exclusive one hour interview with Trevor McDonald of ITV it appears to me, that Paul Burrell is raising cash by revealing what will soon become public knowledge, meaning, it seems that the information he is divulging is information that he had given to the police during the course of the investigation. He is selling it now to make a buck before the information is leaked or worse. Then he came to New York and his American attorney seems fixated on Paul's sharing much more than what he has told investigators.

He is keeping the Queen in a very positive light and has even been able to show she has a softer side. The cynical side of me wonders if this is the price he paid for his freedom. A price I believe is much too high. My Dad always says, "You leave this world with the one thing you bring into it - your name. What that represents at the time of your death is determined by the way you live your life." He is right. The perception that Paul Burrell has sold out could be one that haunts him long after he is in his grave. Other reasons for these cynical thoughts are the little bit of attention that the Burrells draw to the Charles/Camilla relationship. We usually read that it was Diana's obsession. The damage that is being done to the image of the Spencer Family as a whole could be seen as revenge for the attack Earl Spencer made on the Royal Family during his eulogy to Diana. The noted exception to this theory is Lady Jane Spencer-Fellowes, Diana's elder sister and wife of the Queen's former secretary, Sir Robert Fellowes who it is believed was a favorite of the Queen.

Saddest of all, to me, is that so much damage has been done to the image of monarchy. The Queen has always behaved so stoically in every situation yet the members of her family who did not inherit her steely resolve and her belief that she was born to serve continue to plague her. Still, I'm not sure even the most positive of publicity can undo the damage that has been done. Though we've been hearing this Bagehot quote with every crisis of the monarchy over the past 40 years, it may be truer in this instance than it has in any before, "We must not let in daylight up magic." Your Majesty, please draw the drapes and salvage what is left of the dignity of your heritage and the future of House of Windsor.
 

Hello! What do you think of all that has happened? Why not write me for Speakers Corner or a chance to be the next Muse column that I'm hoping to post next week (I can do two in a row when you do all the research for me. ;-)

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

All the best,
Eileen