Report: Burrell Admits Committing Perjury At Diana Inquest
Written by Joanne Leyland
Monday, 18 February 2008
Just hours after it was revealed his 23-year marriage has collapsed, former
royal butler Paul Burrell faces further misery today after The Sun newspaper
revealed details of a tape in which Diana’s former 'Rock' admits he may have
committed perjury during his January appearance at the inquest.
According to the paper, which has published details of a video which it says
was recorded in New York, Burrell admits: "I told the truth as far as I could –
but I didn’t tell the whole truth."
The video appears to have been recorded as part of
a sting operation the likes of which often occur after a
public figure such as Burrell has opted to speak to a rival newspaper.
In this instance, Diana's former butler has always sold his story to The Sun's main rival, the Daily Mirror.
The video shows
the former royal aide-turned-reality TV star, who was fully acquitted
in November 2002 on charges of theft from the estate of Diana, Princess
of Wales, saying of his decision not to reveal all he knows at the Diana inquest: "Perjury is not a nice thing to have to contemplate. I was very naughty and I
made a couple of red herrings, and I couldn’t help doing it.”
Revealing that he wasn’t willing to disclose the full details of a conversation
he had with the monarch after Diana’s death in August 1997, Burrell says on the
tape: "The conversation with the Queen was three hours long. And I wasn't
about to sit there and divulge everything she said to me."
However, he has previously revealed in an interview with the Daily Mirror that
the Queen allegedly warned her former butler, telling him there are "dark forces" at work in Britain.
Asked if the former butler may now face a fresh police investigation, a
Met spokesman said the case has not been referred to police
"as yet".
Comment: I see, CNN's Anderson Cooper gave this story about 3 minutes, last nite! Must say there was NOT one good comment about Mr. Burrell, although descriptive adjectives such as "sleezy" etc were the norm..
I believe the end of public displays by Mr. Burrell are ending. He is not liked in the UK, and now American, his adopted land, are beginning to feel the same... He didn't know when to hold!
Name: Monika
Comment: This is being featured on cablenews channels here in the US. Some are speculating that Burrell is holding back so he can write another book. I think he's sadly mistaken if he thinks he has an ounce of credibility left.
Name: valmae
Comment: I believe that the astute questioning by the barristers and the judge at the Inquest revealed that Burrell had already said all he had to say in his book. When he reflected that he had nothing further to write about, he drunkenly (he was drinking champagne) bragged that he had withheld part of his conversation with the Queen.
I do hope he is resummoned to give evidence at the Inquest and we will then to discover if he had committed perjury. The outcome will be a jail sentence or a severe warning from the judge. That’s all he deserves.
Name: Emily Elizabeth Windsor-Cragg
Comment: What this man has said in confidence on this video will get him in a great deal of trouble, I think.
When one has to keep the mouth shut, one has to really keep the mouth shut, everywhere.
EEWC
Name: anyacat
Comment: I have always found it difficult to accept that the Queen, who is the soul of discretion, would unburden herself to a servant. Burrell has made himself rich by trading on his association with Diana. Without her, he would be have been just another out-of-work butler. I wonder, if in his arrogance and self-importance, Burrell believes he is above the law? Or is this just another ploy to keep his name in the papers as a reminder of his connection with the Royal household?
Name: Jean Sue Libkind
Comment: Burrell will say and do anything to stay in the spotlight. This whole episode reeks of greed: buy my story; I haven't told you everything yet. And yet, by his own omission, he can't even remember what the big secret was that he was saving. It would be sad if it weren't already pathetic.
Name: Monika
Comment: Colleen, IMO, he is naive. What would possess him to admit this to ANYONE? He has rather loose lips for a man who claims he was warned about dark forces by HM.
See what I mean??
Name: Monika
Comment: I think he has created such a maze that even he can't get out of it. It's difficult for me to feel sorry for him since so much of this is the result of his own doing. If he never lied and kept his nose clean, he wouldn't have to be selective about what he reveals now.
Name: Kate
Comment: Did he committ perjury or is he just blowing a little BS, with a witness who he thought was just another John Doe?...I'm sure Paul can embellish when he wants to, in private... I doubt if he did committ perjury... If he had something to tell he would have, except of course, if there was more dialogue between Her Majesty and himself.He has always maintained their conversation was 3 hours! 3 hours is a long conversation between "friends".. If there were, I doubt if Her Majesty would save him twice...I believe he is simply blowing in the wind!!
Name: colleen gagnon
Comment: Well it looks like I might have to eat my words about Burrell being naive.
