As a future king, Prince William was even given preference at breakfast with his little brother Harry, as Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell now reveals.
London – At least since the publication of Prince Harry’s biography “Reserve” (“Spare”) is clear: Prince Harry (38) has suffered since childhood from feeling like a “substitute” for his brother William (40). And apparently he got the feeling of being “only” the second-born son of Charles (74) and Diana (36, † 1997), already instilled with the breakfast milk.
“William needs it more than you”: Prince Harry was left behind early on
Paul Burrell (64) worked as a butler for Princess Diana and Prince Charles from 1987, after their separation in 1992 Burrell continued to work for Diana and her sons William and Harry. In an interview with The Sun Burrell now reveals that Prince Harry was made to feel inferior early on.
“Once I saw the nanny giving William three sausages for breakfast and Harry two,” recalls Paul Burrell. “And Harry looked down at his plate and said how come he gets three and I only get two?” The nanny then replied, “William needs that more than you do. He’ll be king one day.” This questionable justification did not leave Prince Harry unscathed, even if he accepted the disadvantage. “Harry went silent and resigned himself to it, but that was something he had to deal with, even in his own home.”
Who is Paul Burrell?
From 1976 to 1987 Paul Burrell was in the service of Queen Elizabeth II (96, † 2022), after which he worked as a butler for Charles and Diana. Burrell continued to act as butler to the Princess of Wales after the royal couple separated. After Diana’s death in 1997 he worked for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. The theft charges later brought by Princess Diana’s family made headlines, but the case was dropped in 2002. Burrell is the author of the books In My Queen’s Service and Time With Her, which explore his close relationship with Diana. In 2004, Burrell came second on the British reality show “I’ma Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”, the equivalent of “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!”.
“He had to be the clown, he had to attract attention”: This is how Prince Harry fought for attention
Paul Burrell suspected in an interview with The Sunthat incidents of this nature constantly conveyed to Prince Harry that he plays second fiddle to his big brother Prince William in the family. Looking back, Burrell understands what drove Harry to his scandalous biography full of explosive revelations about the royal family. However, Princess Diana did not treat Harry as a “surrogate” for William. “They were absolutely equal in their mother’s eyes,” Burrell says. “The Princess was infatuated with them both.”
Prince Harry has tried to draw attention to himself before. “He had to be the clown, he had to stand out,” recalls Paul Burrell. “Often times I would hear the princess call across the room, ‘Shhhh, Harry, shut up.’ And I have also heard these words in the last few days. Harry has to be quiet, he should hold his breath.” Prince Harry has written his frustration out of his soul in his memoirs, now he worries that William’s children Charlotte (7) and Louis (4) will end up like him. Sources used: thesun.co.uk
