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Paul Burrell: Princess Di would have been in the front row at my wedding to Graham

The former royal butler told how the princess must have known about his sexuality.
The former royal butler told how the princess must have known about his sexuality.

Former royal butler Paul Burrell has said Diana, Princess of Wales would have sat in the front row at his wedding to partner Graham Cooper.

He said he was sure she learned of his sexuality during their close working relationship, as he helped hone her famous sense of style.

Paul, 58, recently made his sexuality public for the first time, months after separating from his wife of 32 years, Maria.

Days after tying the knot with Graham, he told ITV’s Lorraine on Wednesday: “She (Diana) would have been there in the front row with the pictures taken at the wedding, buckets of confetti. I think she had to have known. It was never discussed.

Paul went to Bosnia with Diana in 1997.
Paul went to Bosnia with Diana in 1997 (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

“But, you know, I chose her dresses, I chose her jewels, I told her if her hairstyle was right, I did fabulous flower arrangements. I was me and she was her. I was Paul, so she didn’t mind that at all.”

Once described by Diana as “my rock”, the father-of-two was a trusted confidant to the princess until her death in a car crash in a Parisian tunnel in 1997.

The last 20 years have seen him write a number of tell-all books about life in the royal household and star in reality TV programmes such as Celebrity Big Brother.

Describing his new spouse as his “soulmate”, he told how he met Graham on a train and asked for his number.

He said: “It was a Sliding Doors moment and I looked at him and I thought, ‘you’re him… I’ve been looking for you’.

“As he got up to leave the train I thought, ‘if I let this man go I’m never going to see him again’.“As he passed my seat I said, ‘Are you going to leave your number?’. And he had his card in his hand ready to leave on my table. He knew.”They married on Sunday in a ceremony Paul described as “the wedding of my dreams”.Reliving the moment he came out to his sons last Christmas, he added: “I had to bare my soul to them and say this is who your dad is, wanting to be accepted still and wanting to be embraced.“They thought about it and they said, ‘Dad, you’re our dad and we love you and we want to travel with you’.“And they came to the wedding and they stood proud by my side.”