Princes accuse Burrell of breach of trust over book

Prince William and Prince Harry issued a statement yesterday urging Paul Burrell to end his "upsetting" revelations about their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The princes accused the former royal butler of a "cold and overt betrayal" and an abuse of the trust that the princess had placed in him.

In the short statement, issued at 6pm, Prince William, 21, who was also speaking on behalf of his younger brother, showed his deep pain at Mr Burrell's recent revelations.

The princes said that their mother would have been "mortified" at his actions if she were alive today. They called on him to put an end to his disclosures.

But Mr Burrell refused to back down, insisting that his new book, A Royal Duty, was "nothing more than a tribute" to Diana, of which he was sure she would have been proud. He said he was "saddened" by the princes' criticism.

Mr Burrell has made a series of claims, which have been serialised in the Daily Mirror this week, including one that Diana feared for her life and spoke of a plot to tamper with the brakes of her car.

Prince William said in the statement released by Clarence House: "We cannot believe that Paul, who was entrusted with so much, could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal.

"It is not only deeply painful for the two of us but also for everyone else affected and it would mortify our mother if she were alive today and, if we might say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul. We ask Paul please to bring these revelations to an end."

Mr Burrell responded: "I am convinced that when the princes, and everyone else, reads this book in its entirety they will think differently."

He claimed he had "been greatly encouraged by calls of support from some of the princess's closest friends" and struck back at the Royal family's treatment of him since Diana's death.

"I would also like to point out that, following the collapse of my trial at the Old Bailey last year, no one from the Royal Family has contacted me or said sorry for the unnecessary ordeal myself, my wife and my sons were put through," he added.

Among the revelations in Mr Burrell's book are claims the Duke of Edinburgh wrote to Diana telling her that he and the Queen "disapproved" of the Prince of Wales's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

It was reported that Prince Philip told Diana: "I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind leaving you for Camilla."

Much of the book appears to be based on letters written and received by Diana, as well as Mr Burrell's experiences and observations as the princess's butler and confidant.

Mr Burrell also said that Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, wrote to his sister and expressed concern for her health, mentioning "manipulation and deceit". In the letter, he is alleged to have acknowl-edged that they had lost touch over the years.

In a further blow for the Royal Family, Prince Charles's former deputy private secretary Mark Bolland told the Guardian Newspaper that his former boss was himself partly responsible for Mr Burrell's revelations because he failed to stop the prosecution of the former butler for theft of Diana's possessions.

"The Prince of Wales should have done more to stop the prosecution. But he's not a terribly strong person. I just think he lacks a lot of self confidence. He doesn't have a lot of self belief," Mr Bolland said.