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Behind Gilded Doors

Aired November 10, 2003 - 10:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now more fuel for the fire. Britain's Prince Charles has returned home as a sexual scandal swirls all around him. Britain's media is forbidden by law from divulging the details, but the tabloids are giving some pretty strong and salacious hints about what's going on. Our Diana Muriel is in London with more on that.
Diana, hello.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Yes, indeed, just because they can't print the actual allegations that have been made by the former royal valet, who's been named as George Smith, that doesn't prevent them from dealing with the story. Indeed, it's still on the front pages of all of the tabloids, the "Sun" newspaper saying "Charles Moment of Truth."

Well, that's part of the problem, because if none of the newspapers will go ahead and break the court injunction on publishing it, there seems to be very little the prince can do. We understand from Clarence House, which is the prince's official residence in London, and acts as his office, that the prince will not be taking legal action, and that he will also not be making a televised appearance, which some of the newspapers had been reporting over the weekend.

We understand that he's been speaking with some of his senior aides and senior advisers at his country residence Highgrove, after he returned there on Sunday. He's also met with his companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, and he had dinner there last night together with his son, Prince William.

We understand from Clarence House that the sons are both very supportive of their father in his current predicament.

But it seems the course of action the prince has decided to take so far, at least, is not to do anything about this story which is gaining pace. It's already been printed in papers internationally, in Italy and indeed in Scotland, which is not subject to exactly same laws as pertained in England and Wales, and, of course, it's out there on the Internet

Thank you for the latest on that.

KAGAN: Prince Charles valet isn't the only royal servant to offer what goes on behind closed doors, and gilded doors as well. The questions of privacy and propriety go back at least a century and a half. The most recent case is penned by Paul Burrell, the former butler for "Princess Diana," and the author of the new book -- I'm sure you've seen it in bookstores -- it's called "A Royal Duty." And Paul Burrell is with us here this morning.

Good morning. Pleasure to meet you here in person.

PAUL BURRELL, PRINCESS DIANA'S FORMER BUTLER: Good morning. Nice to be here.

KAGAN: Since I have you here, I have to ask you about what you make out of the latest allegations swirling around Prince Charles.

BURRELL: We have to remember it is total speculation, and this is a personal and private matter for the prince of Wales, and him alone. So you know, we have to wait to see what happens.

They're not always the best-advised people in the world, you know. They have advisers all around them, but they don't always get the best advice.

KAGAN: Well, And how this whole thing is being handled, the idea that he wouldn't go on television, that he wouldn't talk about it, that it's referred to as this "it," it just is taking on a life of its own.

BURRELL: It is, and it's fanning the flames even more, isn't it. It's becoming an even bigger media story, and of course the advisers advised the Prince of Wales to make a statement. Perhaps that was a mistake. Perhaps they shouldn't have done that.

KAGAN: You would just let it go away?

BURRELL: Well, personally, but he took advice from other people.

KAGAN: One of the problems here, one of the things that kind of complicates the matter is about who is making the allegations, and it's about a man named George Smith. He is a person that the royal spokesperson says this is a former royal household employee who unfortunately has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and has previously suffered alcoholism following active service in the Falklands.

BURRELL: Yes, I know George very well.

KAGAN: You do know him?

BURRELL: Yes.

KAGAN: What can you tell us about him?

BURRELL: He's a very good man. I like George. The princess liked George, too, and she tried to help him with all his problems.

KAGAN: Do you consider him to be a credible source?

BURRELL: I think he's a very nice man, yes. KAGAN: There are lots of nice men, but it doesn't mean that they tell the truth.

BURRELL: True, true. We don't know, do we? It's just speculation. And George told his story. It isn't actually evidence, because there's nothing to corroborate that. This all grew out of my court case and out of the tape which went missing, in which George confessed to the princess about certain allegations. Now that was a tape, a very personal and private tape, taped by the princess with George's confession, and that tape went missing. So it's out there somewhere. I don't know where it is. And perhaps that could answer some questions.

KAGAN: So you're saying that this is something that started in your court case, was all kind of strange how that played out. You were about to go trial. At the last second, the queen steps in.

BURRELL: It never should have happened in the first place.

KAGAN: It shouldn't have gone that far?

BURRELL: No, no. The royal family had the power to stop it happening from the first place, and they chose to let it play out, and they were told blatant lies by the police and led down the wrong path.

KAGAN: All right, I can ask you hours of questions about that, but that's kind of old news. I want to talk you about what's new coming out of the book. Let's talk about the letter, the note. Ten months before Princess Diana died, you say that she wrote you a note, claiming that she feared, not only she was going to be killed, but in a car accident?

BURRELL: Yes.

KAGAN: What more can you tell us about that?

BURRELL: Well, that's a very chilling premonition, written by herself, isn't it? I mean, in her own hand, she almost prophesized her own death. She said this is the most dangerous time in her life, and that she feared that someone would tamper the brakes on her car, and she is going to die of serious head injuries. Well, that happened.

Now that letter became a matter of public interest, and I think it should be out there in the public because it was -- it illustrates her thoughts and feelings at that time.

KAGAN: I understand that, and I've see you interviewed a number of times. I have yet to hear a satisfactory answer from you, Paul, about why now? Why do you wait for six years to make this public?

BURRELL: Well, because, you know, you have to think of how I was feeling, too, at that time. I mean, I was going through turmoil and grief when the princess died.

KAGAN: Six years, though? BURRELL: No, no, not six years. No, no, no, no, at the time. And then the queen asked me to go to Buckingham Palace, and she said, she warned me about dark forces in the country, and that was a clear warning to be careful. So I did, think about my own security, about my family, about my wife and my children. I have to think about everyone in that equation. Who could I have given that note to?

KAGAN: To the police?

BURRELL: Oh, the police? Oh, really, when in the end, I found out that they told lies anyway, and I couldn't trust them.

KAGAN: OK, to the public then, like you're doing now.

BURRELL: To the public then? Well, I personally wasn't ready to do that then, because I felt it wasn't appropriate at that time. I had to wait. I was waiting for an inquest actually. I mean, six years on, we haven't had an inquest in Britain yet. We're still waiting for an inquest, not only of the princess's death...

KAGAN: Do you think this will bring it on?

BURRELL: Yes, the circumstances surrounding it. I hope so.

When I started to write the book, I thought very hard whether or not to release it in a book, thinking I would get criticism, of course.

KAGAN: I mean, you're clearly an intelligent man.

BURRELL: Yes, well...

KAGAN: I mean, the Princess Diana wouldn't have kept you in the royal family if you didn't have it working up here.

BURRELL: True.

KAGAN: You have got to know when you come out, oh, just conveniently six years later, and look, my new book comes out. It does not make you look great.

BURRELL: I can stand the criticism. No, I can stand the criticism, because I think it is a matter of public interest. It's out there. When I started to write the book, there, was no idea that anyone was going to have an inquest. Now, the book's out there. The letter's out there. Something's happening, and we are going to have an inquest.

KAGAN: Two key members of the royal family who used to be big supporters of you is the princes, William and Harry, no longer are. They've come out publicly and been very critical of you. You have agreed to meet with Prince William. And has that happened yet?

BURRELL: You know, I'm very saddened by that, because I love those boys. You know, I've grown up with them.

KAGAN: Do you understand how they feel, like you betrayed your mother?

BURRELL: Of course I do, but they haven't read the book. They reacted to headlines in newspapers.

KAGAN: Do you blame them? Do you think if you were -- if this was written about your mother, you would want to read the story?

BURRELL: You know what newspapers are like. They write sensational headlines to sell newspapers. That's the media for you. So they reacted to those headlines. I want them to read the book. I'll stand by that. I will. I'll sit next to William, and I'll say look, William, look what I've written, I've written a wonderful tribute to your mother, I have not gone over the line. He knows what secrets I hold. He knows what I haven't told. The biggest test in the book was knowing not what to write, and I think I balanced it very well. This is a fair and very balanced picture of the princess's life.

KAGAN: So you have not had this meeting yet.

BURRELL: I haven't, not yet.

KAGAN: And when it does take place, what do you think the circumstances will be?

BURRELL: It will be very private, behind closed doors. No one will know it happened and no one will know what said. I will give him my word that nothing will come out of that meeting. I hope he can do with that with me, too.

KAGAN: I want to look ahead here. Where do you go from here? You're not going to be a butler anymore, I would imagine.

BURRELL: Well, I wasn't a butler for a very long time. My role changed over the years. So I don't know. I don't know what's coming. How could I forecast this would happen to me in the last six years? Goodness knows what is going to happen to me in the next six. All I want to do is to be happy and to enjoy my life, and hopefully, be able to give back some of those things that were taken away my family and my environment.

KAGAN: And when you say -- as we're looking forward, when you say things like, if you have this meeting with Prince William, that will remain private. There are secrets that you didn't tell in the book. Those remain private.

BURRELL: Yes. Yes.

KAGAN: How do we know there aren't more secrets coming ahead?

BURRELL: Well, this is a matter of trust, isn't it? I am still loyal to the princess, and the queen and the two boys and will remain that way.

KAGAN: And we'll let the book speak for itself.

BURRELL: It will speak for itself.

KAGAN: Paul Burrell, thank you for stopping by.

BURRELL: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 10, 2003 - 10:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now more fuel for the fire. Britain's Prince Charles has returned home as a sexual scandal swirls all around him. Britain's media is forbidden by law from divulging the details, but the tabloids are giving some pretty strong and salacious hints about what's going on. Our Diana Muriel is in London with more on that.
Diana, hello.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Yes, indeed, just because they can't print the actual allegations that have been made by the former royal valet, who's been named as George Smith, that doesn't prevent them from dealing with the story. Indeed, it's still on the front pages of all of the tabloids, the "Sun" newspaper saying "Charles Moment of Truth."

Well, that's part of the problem, because if none of the newspapers will go ahead and break the court injunction on publishing it, there seems to be very little the prince can do. We understand from Clarence House, which is the prince's official residence in London, and acts as his office, that the prince will not be taking legal action, and that he will also not be making a televised appearance, which some of the newspapers had been reporting over the weekend.

We understand that he's been speaking with some of his senior aides and senior advisers at his country residence Highgrove, after he returned there on Sunday. He's also met with his companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, and he had dinner there last night together with his son, Prince William.

We understand from Clarence House that the sons are both very supportive of their father in his current predicament.

But it seems the course of action the prince has decided to take so far, at least, is not to do anything about this story which is gaining pace. It's already been printed in papers internationally, in Italy and indeed in Scotland, which is not subject to exactly same laws as pertained in England and Wales, and, of course, it's out there on the Internet

Thank you for the latest on that.

KAGAN: Prince Charles valet isn't the only royal servant to offer what goes on behind closed doors, and gilded doors as well. The questions of privacy and propriety go back at least a century and a half. The most recent case is penned by Paul Burrell, the former butler for "Princess Diana," and the author of the new book -- I'm sure you've seen it in bookstores -- it's called "A Royal Duty." And Paul Burrell is with us here this morning.

Good morning. Pleasure to meet you here in person.

PAUL BURRELL, PRINCESS DIANA'S FORMER BUTLER: Good morning. Nice to be here.

KAGAN: Since I have you here, I have to ask you about what you make out of the latest allegations swirling around Prince Charles.

BURRELL: We have to remember it is total speculation, and this is a personal and private matter for the prince of Wales, and him alone. So you know, we have to wait to see what happens.

They're not always the best-advised people in the world, you know. They have advisers all around them, but they don't always get the best advice.

KAGAN: Well, And how this whole thing is being handled, the idea that he wouldn't go on television, that he wouldn't talk about it, that it's referred to as this "it," it just is taking on a life of its own.

BURRELL: It is, and it's fanning the flames even more, isn't it. It's becoming an even bigger media story, and of course the advisers advised the Prince of Wales to make a statement. Perhaps that was a mistake. Perhaps they shouldn't have done that.

KAGAN: You would just let it go away?

BURRELL: Well, personally, but he took advice from other people.

KAGAN: One of the problems here, one of the things that kind of complicates the matter is about who is making the allegations, and it's about a man named George Smith. He is a person that the royal spokesperson says this is a former royal household employee who unfortunately has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and has previously suffered alcoholism following active service in the Falklands.

BURRELL: Yes, I know George very well.

KAGAN: You do know him?

BURRELL: Yes.

KAGAN: What can you tell us about him?

BURRELL: He's a very good man. I like George. The princess liked George, too, and she tried to help him with all his problems.

KAGAN: Do you consider him to be a credible source?

BURRELL: I think he's a very nice man, yes. KAGAN: There are lots of nice men, but it doesn't mean that they tell the truth.

BURRELL: True, true. We don't know, do we? It's just speculation. And George told his story. It isn't actually evidence, because there's nothing to corroborate that. This all grew out of my court case and out of the tape which went missing, in which George confessed to the princess about certain allegations. Now that was a tape, a very personal and private tape, taped by the princess with George's confession, and that tape went missing. So it's out there somewhere. I don't know where it is. And perhaps that could answer some questions.

KAGAN: So you're saying that this is something that started in your court case, was all kind of strange how that played out. You were about to go trial. At the last second, the queen steps in.

BURRELL: It never should have happened in the first place.

KAGAN: It shouldn't have gone that far?

BURRELL: No, no. The royal family had the power to stop it happening from the first place, and they chose to let it play out, and they were told blatant lies by the police and led down the wrong path.

KAGAN: All right, I can ask you hours of questions about that, but that's kind of old news. I want to talk you about what's new coming out of the book. Let's talk about the letter, the note. Ten months before Princess Diana died, you say that she wrote you a note, claiming that she feared, not only she was going to be killed, but in a car accident?

BURRELL: Yes.

KAGAN: What more can you tell us about that?

BURRELL: Well, that's a very chilling premonition, written by herself, isn't it? I mean, in her own hand, she almost prophesized her own death. She said this is the most dangerous time in her life, and that she feared that someone would tamper the brakes on her car, and she is going to die of serious head injuries. Well, that happened.

Now that letter became a matter of public interest, and I think it should be out there in the public because it was -- it illustrates her thoughts and feelings at that time.

KAGAN: I understand that, and I've see you interviewed a number of times. I have yet to hear a satisfactory answer from you, Paul, about why now? Why do you wait for six years to make this public?

BURRELL: Well, because, you know, you have to think of how I was feeling, too, at that time. I mean, I was going through turmoil and grief when the princess died.

KAGAN: Six years, though? BURRELL: No, no, not six years. No, no, no, no, at the time. And then the queen asked me to go to Buckingham Palace, and she said, she warned me about dark forces in the country, and that was a clear warning to be careful. So I did, think about my own security, about my family, about my wife and my children. I have to think about everyone in that equation. Who could I have given that note to?

KAGAN: To the police?

BURRELL: Oh, the police? Oh, really, when in the end, I found out that they told lies anyway, and I couldn't trust them.

KAGAN: OK, to the public then, like you're doing now.

BURRELL: To the public then? Well, I personally wasn't ready to do that then, because I felt it wasn't appropriate at that time. I had to wait. I was waiting for an inquest actually. I mean, six years on, we haven't had an inquest in Britain yet. We're still waiting for an inquest, not only of the princess's death...

KAGAN: Do you think this will bring it on?

BURRELL: Yes, the circumstances surrounding it. I hope so.

When I started to write the book, I thought very hard whether or not to release it in a book, thinking I would get criticism, of course.

KAGAN: I mean, you're clearly an intelligent man.

BURRELL: Yes, well...

KAGAN: I mean, the Princess Diana wouldn't have kept you in the royal family if you didn't have it working up here.

BURRELL: True.

KAGAN: You have got to know when you come out, oh, just conveniently six years later, and look, my new book comes out. It does not make you look great.

BURRELL: I can stand the criticism. No, I can stand the criticism, because I think it is a matter of public interest. It's out there. When I started to write the book, there, was no idea that anyone was going to have an inquest. Now, the book's out there. The letter's out there. Something's happening, and we are going to have an inquest.

KAGAN: Two key members of the royal family who used to be big supporters of you is the princes, William and Harry, no longer are. They've come out publicly and been very critical of you. You have agreed to meet with Prince William. And has that happened yet?

BURRELL: You know, I'm very saddened by that, because I love those boys. You know, I've grown up with them.

KAGAN: Do you understand how they feel, like you betrayed your mother?

BURRELL: Of course I do, but they haven't read the book. They reacted to headlines in newspapers.

KAGAN: Do you blame them? Do you think if you were -- if this was written about your mother, you would want to read the story?

BURRELL: You know what newspapers are like. They write sensational headlines to sell newspapers. That's the media for you. So they reacted to those headlines. I want them to read the book. I'll stand by that. I will. I'll sit next to William, and I'll say look, William, look what I've written, I've written a wonderful tribute to your mother, I have not gone over the line. He knows what secrets I hold. He knows what I haven't told. The biggest test in the book was knowing not what to write, and I think I balanced it very well. This is a fair and very balanced picture of the princess's life.

KAGAN: So you have not had this meeting yet.

BURRELL: I haven't, not yet.

KAGAN: And when it does take place, what do you think the circumstances will be?

BURRELL: It will be very private, behind closed doors. No one will know it happened and no one will know what said. I will give him my word that nothing will come out of that meeting. I hope he can do with that with me, too.

KAGAN: I want to look ahead here. Where do you go from here? You're not going to be a butler anymore, I would imagine.

BURRELL: Well, I wasn't a butler for a very long time. My role changed over the years. So I don't know. I don't know what's coming. How could I forecast this would happen to me in the last six years? Goodness knows what is going to happen to me in the next six. All I want to do is to be happy and to enjoy my life, and hopefully, be able to give back some of those things that were taken away my family and my environment.

KAGAN: And when you say -- as we're looking forward, when you say things like, if you have this meeting with Prince William, that will remain private. There are secrets that you didn't tell in the book. Those remain private.

BURRELL: Yes. Yes.

KAGAN: How do we know there aren't more secrets coming ahead?

BURRELL: Well, this is a matter of trust, isn't it? I am still loyal to the princess, and the queen and the two boys and will remain that way.

KAGAN: And we'll let the book speak for itself.

BURRELL: It will speak for itself.

KAGAN: Paul Burrell, thank you for stopping by.

BURRELL: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com