Queen Elizabeth's Former Footman Recalls "Silliness at All Levels," From Corgi Incidents to World Leaders Behaving "Inappropriately"

Paul Burrell is best known as Princess Diana’s former butler, but he joined the royal household as a young man in the ‘70s as a footman and later, a personal attendant for Queen Elizabeth. Having worked at Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for more than 20 years, Burrell has seen it all, and he tells Marie Claire that “strange things happen with members of the public” whenever they encounter the royals.

Speaking on behalf of Champions Speakers Agency, Burrell says that everyone from average citizens to global leaders seemed to “go to pieces” when they came in contact with the late Queen. “Whenever they meet a member of the Royal Family, they just lose it,” he shares.

“I’ve seen that happen on so many occasions, even with foreign dignitaries and royals,” Burrell says. “Having looked after presidents and prime ministers, kings and queens coming into the royal presence, it’s unusual to see someone behave so inappropriately.”

Some of the most memorable incidents Burrell recalls include men forgetting their royal protocol, corgi problems and even Queen Elizabeth “telling off” her kids.

“I’ve seen men curtsy, not thinking as they approach the Queen, ‘I’ve got to bow.’ They drop a curtsy instead.” Burrell says. “I’ve seen corgis throw up in the hallway in front of prime ministers and kings. I’ve seen inappropriate behavior in the dining room when royal children have been told off by their mother, The Queen. I’ve seen silliness at all levels.”

At the end of the day, Burrell points out that what he remembers the most is how the royals were most often seen “behaving like families, because the Royal Family are like us in many ways—they are a family.”

He describes Prince William, Princess Anne and the rest of the family as “satellites” whose job is “revolving around the monarch.”

“And occasionally they bump into each other and cause problems and troubles,” he admits. “It’s a very unusual world to observe from the inside.”

Even though they're performing their duties on a global stage, Burrell says it's important to recognize that the royals “live in two different worlds,” and there’s a big difference between public and private personas.

“They live in their world behind closed doors, a private one, and a public one on the world stage,” he says, adding that Queen Elizabeth would come home and remove her “costume” after performing duties, put “on a skirt and a blouse, and she’s Elizabeth.”