Former Butler Recalls Worrying That One Royal Had an Acupuncture Needle "Protruding From Their Scalp"

Princess Diana was just 36 years old when she died on August 31, 1997, following a devastating car crash in Paris, France. Since then, friends and colleagues have shared a multitude of stories about the former Princess of Wales. For instance, one of her royal butlers recalled a particularly strange moment when he feared an acupuncture needle might have been left in the princess's body.

In his book A Royal Duty, former butler Paul Burrell wrote, "Once, an acupuncturist from whom the princess had just returned telephoned. If acupuncturists are meant to be calming, this call was anything but. In fact, the practitioner was on the verge of panic. 'I'm a needle short. I think I may have left one in the princess's head!'"

Unsurprisingly, Burrell was extremely concerned about the prospect of finding an errant acupuncture needle in Diana's head.

"I walked up the staircase and into the sitting room where she was writing at her desk, half expecting to find an antenna protruding from her scalp," he wrote. "'I've just taken a call,' I said. 'Apparently, you might have an acupuncturist's needle still in your head.'"

Thankfully, there was no such object sticking out of Princess Diana's head, which they were extremely relieved to discover.

"The princess patted it all over, then burst out laughing," Burrell explained. "'Put the poor woman out of her misery and tell her I'm okay. I feel a lot better for seeing her again!'"

According to Burrell, "The princess never failed to see the funny side of her therapies and treatments." Even when a practitioner worried they'd made a possible mistake, Diana reportedly handled the issue with grace and humor.