Paul Burrell became a well known character after his time as a butler and friend to the late Princess Diana.
Since Diana’s tragic passing, Paul Burrell has made numerous TV appearances including a stint on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, as well as writing several books about his time in the Royal households.
Paul Burrell’s time working for the Royal Family
Paul was born June 6, 1958 making him currently 65. After growing up in Derbyshire, he decided from a very young age he wanted to work at Buckingham Palace following a trip to London.
After studying hotel management, he began working at Buckingham Palace at the age of 18 as a footman. A year into the role, he became Queen Elizabeth II’s personal footman.
In 1987, Paul joined the household of Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Highgrove House and became Diana’s butler until her death in 1997.
In the years following Diana’s death, he was accused of theft relating to Diana’s possessions, and he was also involved in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008.
Paul Burrell’s husband
Paul’s first marriage was to his first wife, Maria Cosgrove who he met while working at Buckingham Palace. They married in 1984 and went on to have two sons together, Alexander and Nicholas.
After 32 years together, Paul opened up to his wife about his true sexuality and that he wanted to separate.
Following his divorce from Maria, Paul married his boyfriend Graham Cooper in April 2017 in a ceremony in the Lake District. Graham is a corporate lawyer whom he met in 2007.
Paul Burrell’s illness
In January 2023, Paul revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was receiving treatment. In November of that year, he announced he’s been given the all-clear from cancer but would need further medical care.
During an Interview on ITV’s Lorraine with Lorraine Kelly, Paul said, “I will continue with the hormone therapy which is a bit of a pain because I am putting on weight and I am more emotional than usual, and the hot sweats.”
What did Prince Harry say about Paul Burrell?
In the past, Prince Harry has been very vocal about how he and his brother, Prince William feel about Paul Burrell.
In his witness statement during his High Court hacking trial, Prince Harry said: “Both my brother and I had very strong feelings about how indiscreet Paul had proven to be with the way he had sold our mother's possessions and how he had given numerous interviews about her. We firmly believed that she would have expected some privacy in death, especially from someone she had trusted and we were so upset at the way he was behaving- I didn’t want to hear his reasons for it. Therefore, our disagreement over how to handle the situation going forward was not something I wanted splashed across the Defendant’s newspapers, and I had no idea how the Defendant’s journalists obtained the information with the article.”
Paul Burrell Net Worth
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Paul Burrell’s Net Worth is estimated to be around $500,000. That’s around £400,000 in British pounds.
What does Paul Burrell do now?
After selling his florist shop in 2019, he has now retired and lives with his husband in Cheshire.
You can keep up with Paul by following him on Instagram @officialpaulburrell where he regularly shares updates. He recently shared a photo of him with his new grandchild born December 2023.
Paul Burrell on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
You’ll no doubt remember Paul Burrell in his appearance in season four of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2004. He stayed in the Australian Jungle for 16 days, reaching the final of the competition and coming second after winner, Joe Pasquale.
He returned to the jungle in 2023 (which was filmed in 2022) for I’m a Celebrity… South Africa.
As well as this TV appearance, he has also been in Through the Keyhole with Kieth Lemon, The Real Full Monty: Jingle Balls as well as being the Royal Correspondent on Lorraine in the lead up to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Paul Burrell's books
Lorna White is a Senior Digital Writer at Yours.co.uk. She was previously a writer at Yours Magazine writing features and news stories before joining the digital team. Lorna loves the great British countryside and likes to spend her spare time out and about in her home of Nottinghamshire walking her dog, Pippin.