Prince William will meet his mother's former butler Paul Burrell to discuss the royal family's anger over revelations Burrell's new book makes about Diana, Princess of Wales, and her in-laws, William's office said on Tuesday.
It's likely to be an emotionally charged get-together.
Last week William urged his mother's one-time confidant to stop revealing family secrets and said Diana would have been "mortified" by Burrell's actions.
Clarence House, the London home of William, his younger brother Prince Harry and father Prince Charles, confirmed William would see Burrell. A spokeswoman said the meeting would be "completely private" and declined to say when or where it would be held.
"Prince William said that he was prepared to meet Mr. Burrell and we'll proceed along those lines," she said on customary condition of anonymity.
The spokeswoman declined to say whether representatives of William and Burrell had spoken or to provide any other details.
The 21-year-old prince said in an angry statement last week that he and Harry could not believe Burrell "could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal."
Clarence House added then that William and Harry -- who often played with Burrell's children at Kensington Palace when they were growing up -- were willing to meet with him to discuss their concerns.
Burrell said Monday that he would welcome the chance to see the princes.
"I would like to ask them a few questions," he said in a broadcast interview.
"I think I would like to give them a piece of my mind and ask them why they personally did not help me when I needed help at the worst point of my life," he said.
In his book, A Royal Duty, Burrell professes admiration and respect for the royal family, particularly Queen Elizabeth II, and says he meant the work to honor Diana, not spill secrets about her private life.
But he has criticized the family for failing to offer him any sign of support during the nearly two years in which he fought accusations that he stole items belonging to Diana and other royals.
He went to trial and was acquitted in November last year after the queen said he had told her five years earlier that he'd taken some of Diana's papers for safekeeping after her death.
Burrell expressed his thanks to the queen, but many wondered why she'd waited to so long to come to her former servant's aid.
A Royal Duty was published in Britain on Monday and the US on Saturday, capping a week in which its juiciest highlights were excerpted every day in the Daily Mirror tabloid.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was