The Crown: Princess Diana’s butler Paul Burrell names what’s true and false in season four

Series has faced criticism for taking liberties with the truth

Paul Burrell, butler to the late Princess Diana, has weighed in on the accuracy of The Crown’s fourth season.

Netflix’s hit royal drama introduced the character of Diana in its latest run of episodes, played by Emma Corrin.

However, the series has been criticised by some viewers, including Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who was mocked for suggesting that the series needed to bear a warning alerting people to the fact it is a work of fiction.

Speaking to The Sun, Burrell claims that the depiction of Prince Charles and Diana’s relationship troubles is broadly accurate. 

“Josh O’Connor plays Prince Charles as a rather uncaring, cold person. And I’m afraid that’s what I saw behind closed doors,” he said. 

Read more: How accurate is The Crown season four?

"He was married to probably the most beautiful woman in the world. But he didn’t look after her, and that’s what comes across in The Crown."

Burrell also claimed that the animosity between Charles and Diana on their 1983 trip to Australia was rooted in truth, saying that it was “true” that Charles didn’t like being “eclipsed”.

Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Diana (Emma Corrin) in season four of The Crown (Des Willie/Netflix)

Furthermore, the cold relationship between the Queen Mother (played by Marion Bailey) and Diana was also on the money, according to Burrell.

“They didn’t have a very close relationship," he claimed. “I heard her say Diana is ‘such a silly girl, doesn’t she realise, men have affairs’. That’s pretty telling, that it’s accepted and that’s what happens and you just put up with it. They got it right in The Crown.”

However, other details of the series were inaccurate, with Burrell clarifying that Diana did not in fact choose her own engagement ring, as was suggested in the Netflix drama.

Burrell stated that the Queen’s frosty marital relationship was also exaggerated in the series, and the assertion that they slept in separate beds was untrue.

The former servant claimed that the oft-reported hostility between The Queen (played by Oliva Colman) and Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) was exaggerated in the series too.