Former royal butler Paul Burrel believes the People’s Princess made sure he bumped into his husband despite never disclosing his sexuality to Lady Diana – ‘she sent him’
Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell claims her ghost played matchmaker by ‘sending’ his now-husband to him.
Paul, who served Lady Di for ten years until her death, says he thinks the royal played a spooky part in the chance meeting, which took place 10 years after her death. He told the What If? podcast he believes the former Princess of Wales made sure he crossed paths with partner Graham Cooper in 2007.
Burrell said he was on a train from London Euston to Crewe when he had a “sliding doors moment” with Cooper, 62. He said he locked eyes with the corporate lawyer from the other end of the carriage.
Burrell said: “That’s all, I just looked down the aisle, and he smiled, and I thought ‘Oo, what just happened then? Something happened’.”
He said he stopped Cook at the end of the train journey to ask for his business card. Burrell explained: “I think she sent him. Yes. To take care of me.”
At the time, Burrell had not come out as gay and was married to wife Maria Cosgrove, who he shares two sons with. However Burrell – who also served as a footman for the Queen – said he and Diana had always had an “understanding” about his sexuality.
Asked by host Lorraine Kelly whether Diana knew he was gay, he said: “I did fabulous flower arrangements, I chose the right dress for the right occasion, I knew which jewels and shoes, heels or no heels, stockings or no stockings, come on.
“We had an understanding and so I was safe and she was safe. So it didn’t matter in our world.”
Burrell announced he was marrying his now-husband in 2017, a year after his marriage ended. The former butler has previously said that he never revealed his true sexuality to Princess Diana, who died in 1997.