A former butler to the late Princess Diana has revealed the sweet and generous gesture a young Prince Harry made to his sons, and how it differed from his older brother Prince William.
Paul Burrell, who served as a footman to the late Queen Elizabeth II before becoming Princess Diana’s butler, described Harry as a “generous and sensitive boy” while reflecting on the princes’ childhood at Highgrove.
Speaking to Casino.org, Burrell recalled that Harry would often give his own pocket money to Burrell’s sons so they could save for things they wanted.
“He (Harry) would like nothing better than to give my boys a ‘Pink Granny’ or a ‘Blue Granny’,” Burrell said, explaining that the nicknames were what Harry called bank notes because they featured Queen Elizabeth.
“He used to give out notes to my boys so they could save for a PlayStation or something. He was very kind.”
Burrell said Harry’s generous streak contrasted with Prince William’s more practical approach to money.
“William wouldn’t have done that, because William would be saving his money for something important,” he said.
The former royal aide, who remained one of Princess Diana’s closest confidants until her death in August 1997, said the late princess tried to raise both sons equally, despite what Harry claims was his role as the “spare” to William’s future as King.
According to Burrell, their different personalities were evident from an early age.
“I remember Harry riding his chopper bike through the estate at Highgrove, coming down to play football with my boys, and William arriving in his model Aston Martin car. Harry would have holes in his jeans, and William would be immaculately dressed.”
While Burrell has often spoken warmly about Harry’s childhood, he has also been highly critical of the Duke of Sussex’s fractured relationship with the royal family in recent years.
Speaking to the Express UK in May at the 2026 British LGBT Awards, Burrell said Harry would have to live with the consequences of his decisions after stepping back from royal duties with Meghan Markle in 2020 and later participating in a series of tell-all interviews and publishing his memoir, Spare.
“It’s the royal soap opera…that continues to intrigue everybody,” Burrell said.
“Like all families they have fallouts but with the Royal Family it is always a public one. I think Harry’s going to have to go a very long way to be forgiven by his brother and by his family for the things that he has said and done.
“His choice. He didn’t have to do all the things he did but he chose to and he has to pay the price for that.”
Burrell was similarly critical of Harry in his 2025 memoir, The Royal Insider, where he described the now 41-year-old father-of-two as “petulant” and living in his own “personal soap opera”.
He also recounted a 2017 meeting at Kensington Palace, claiming William and Harry invited him to answer questions about their late mother.
According to Burrell, once Harry had received the information he wanted, he used “hateful and hurtful words” towards him.
Burrell also accused the Duke of hypocrisy for writing about members of the royal family without giving them the opportunity to respond.
Burrell’s latest reflections come just days before Harry is due to return to the UK with Meghan and their two children for a one-year-to-go event marking the countdown to the Invictus Games.
It remains unclear whether Harry will reunite with Prince William during the visit.
The brothers have reportedly not seen or spoken to one another since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
