'It's been a hard time but we'll be OK'

A banner outside the village pub in Farndon, Cheshire, yesterday read "Welcome Home Paul".

It marked the return of the Princess of Wales' former butler after a fortnight in which he had been portrayed as a thief then an innocent man, a devoted servant then a betrayer of secrets.

But the most obvious sign of the many changes since he left the village for the dock of the Old Bailey was that the welcome sign was sponsored by the Daily Mirror.

Paul Burrell arrived back in Farndon shortly before 3pm yesterday in the company of security guards, police officers and a reporter from the newspaper that paid £300,000 for his self-censored revelations about life in the royal household. An hour later he stepped outside again to address the cameras and flashbulbs of the media pack that had followed him from court to the chat shows of America and back, finally, to a quiet community on the border of Wales where he owns a flower shop. Standing outside his modest, ivy-covered Georgian home in a yellow shirt and bright red tie he looked unsurprisingly at ease with all the attention.

"I'm going to see what people offer me first but I will definitely be returning to the flower shop," said Mr Burrell.

That is the same shop where Mr Burrell sat and cried every night after being charged with theft last January, according to his serialised story. Nearby is the A41, where he once parked his car clutching a bottle of paracetomol and contemplated suicide. "It's been a hard time," he said yesterday, "but we are a family who talk about everything so I believe that we will be OK.''

Paul and Maria Burrell and their two teenage sons had no plans to return to London, he said. "This is our home. Both I and my family would like to thank the people of Holt and Farndon for their support.''

A few villagers stood in the road to express their support. Others were inside the Farndon Arms for a party in his honour. Mr Burrell's parents and other members of his close family were also there. Landlord Keith Bouchier described the guest of honour as a regular and "one of the lads'', a generous man with a strong community spirit. Villagers were sympathetic towards the Burrells but angry at police and the Spencers, he said. "We all believe Paul has been used as a pawn to get at the Royal Family.''

A close friend and neighbour whose sons go to school with the Burrell children said: "This has been a hell of a two years for the family and has come at a terrible time when the boys are still growing up. I feel angry to see how much Alex and Nick have been affected and having talked to his wife I know that they are looking forward to getting back to normal life again.''

There were, however, some dissidents. One elderly resident said: "A lot of us feel sorry for him and don't think he should have been prosecuted in this way but I do feel he has possibly been misadvised.'' Another villager, David Straiton, said: "Mr Burrell keeps talking about how much he loves the monarchy but if he continues to talk out in this way he can only do more harm than good."

Burrell's agent David Warwick said: "Paul's feeling quite bright given what has gone on over the past few weeks. He is looking forward to being back here and has always maintained that running the flower shop was the only thing he ever wanted to do.''

However, he then confirmed that the former Royal butler had been in discussions about possible television contracts. "Paul will always be a celebrity now but he wants to be just Paul Burrell, not Paul the betrayer or any of the other names given to him by the media." By early evening, when most of the cameras had gone away, the tabloid-sponsored banner outside the pub had already been taken down.