Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, has claimed that Earl Spencer barely spoke to his sister in her final years unless he wanted tickets for the Royal Box at Wimbledon.
Burrell, 68, accused Earl Spencer of failing to support Diana when she needed him, and said the Earl knew little about her life in the five years before her death.
Burrell's Allegations
Speaking to the Sun, Burrell said: "I'd think those last five years . . . are pretty vague in the book because he knows nothing about them. She said, 'My family only want me when they want the best seats in the best restaurants or want to sit in the Royal Box at Wimbledon'."
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Burrell added: "They barely spoke. He was not part of her world."
Estrangement and Estate Dispute
Diana and her younger brother had a falling out when he declined to let her live in the Garden House at Althorp, the family's 13,000-acre estate, following her public separation from then-Prince Charles in 1992.
Earl Spencer, who inherited the estate that year aged 27, cited the Garden House's proximity to a road as a security concern. He claimed to have offered every suitable property on the Northamptonshire estate.
Criticisms of King Charles
Among his criticisms of the now King Charles, Spencer alleged that he told him after his father's funeral that he was "so lucky" to inherit at such a young age. He has also accused Charles of being "giddily elated" following Diana's death in 1997 and alleges he said "we will forget her soon enough."
Buckingham Palace suggested that the "pain of fraternal grief" may have clouded the Earl's recollections.
Legal Action and Burial Dispute
Piers Morgan is taking legal action against the Earl after he falsely claimed in his book that Piers was the editor of the Daily Mirror when it published intrusive photos of Diana. Morgan said: "I've only checked the references to me. So who knows how many other people he's done this to, right?" The Earl has since apologised.
Burrell also expressed his belief that the Earl was wrong to bury Diana on an island within his estate. While the public can visit the estate for a fee, only family members are permitted to visit the grave. He argued that Diana should be buried where the public could pay their respects.
