-Caveat Lector-
| Cop says butler told fib |
;) |
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| Invited
... Colin Tebbutt |
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By PAUL THOMPSON A
FORMER royal cop has revealed he attended Princess Diana’s burial —
contradicting Paul Burrell’s claim that he was the only member of Diana’s
staff there.
Colin Tebbutt, 64, has broken five years of silence
after Burrell repeatedly insisted he was the only person outside the
immediate family to be invited to the service.
Colin told how he
clutched the hand of Diana’s mother Frances Shand Kydd as the coffin was
lowered into an island grave at Althorp.
He said: “It was a deeply
moving and very emotional service and something I will always
remember.
“I want people to know I was invited to the burial by
Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Diana’s sister, as a way of thanks for the work I
did in Paris after the Princess’s death.
“It is wrong for Paul
Burrell to say he was the only person outside the Royal family at the
burial at Althorp.
“I was there but have never talked about it. For
years my own daughter Lisa did not believe I had been invited to the
burial.”
Unlike Burrell, Colin has not asked for any money to
describe his part in the deeply moving ceremony on September
1997.
The only other people present at the graveside were Prince
Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Spencer family.
The
quietly spoken former cop revealed how his tireless work in Paris, in the
frantic hours after Diana’s death, prompted a surprise call from Lady
Sarah.
Colin said: “Because of what happened in Paris, Lady Sarah
telephoned me and asked if I would like to attend the burial at
Althorp.
“I was at the funeral with my parner Liz and sat with the
other staff opposite the Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“Afterwards I
boarded the Royal Train at Euston for the trip to Althorp. We were met at
the local station and taken by car to Althorp House, and for the journey I
sat alongside Prince William.”
Out of respect for William, 20, and
Harry, 18, he refuses to divulge any of their conversation during the
sombre trip to Althorp.
At Althorp House, Diana’s family home,
Colin joined the Spencers and the royals for lunch.
He said:
“Considering what had just gone on it was very composed. Everyone at the
table behaved in a very dignified manner and were pleasant to each other.
|
Grief ... Earl Spencer walks
on Althorp
island days after Diana's
burial |
“The mood was quite upbeat,
but I think this was partly because of the boys. Of course it was a sombre
occasion but those around the table were not morose. There was no
hostility and everyone was talking to each other.”
After lunch the
group, which included Diana’s sisters Lady Sarah and Lady Jane Fellowes
and their husbands, made their way silently to the small oval island at
the centre of a lake where a burial plot had been prepared.
The
army had built a temporary wooden bridge and Colin remembers six pall
bearers carrying the coffin to its final resting place.
The
Reverend Victor Malan, a close friend of the Spencer family, conducted the
burial service, which lasted less than five minutes.
After pausing
for a few minutes in prayer and silent contemplation, the party filed back
across the temporary wooden bridge.
Colin said: “It was a deeply
moving and very simple service. I have never really talked about it before
because obviously it is deeply private and I still respect the boys
William and Harry.
“But because I have not talked about it people
do not believe I was actually there.”
At the Old Bailey trial where
Burrell was cleared of stealing items of Diana’s from Kensington Palace,
the close relationship between him and Diana was highlighted by his
personal invitation to the burial service.
Colin said: “Yes, Paul
was there was but so was I. I am happy now for people to know Paul was not
the only person outside the royal family to be invited.
“For three
years after Diana’s death my daughter Lisa did not believe I had been at
the service. I took her to Althorp last year and we met Earl Spencer who
confirmed it to her.
“Even now many of my friends do not believe
that I was there.”
Colin, who was Princess Anne’s personal
bodyguard for six years, was due to give evidence at the Burrell
trial.
The court had heard how he was one of the first to arrive at
Kensington Palace after being alerted that the Princess had been in an
accident.
When Burrell and Colin were told Diana had died from her
injuries he was asked to fly to Paris.
It was also Colin’s
suggestion that Diana’s private apartment be sealed for fear of items
being stolen.
The court was told by Michael Gibbins, the head of
the Diana’s household, that Prince Charles agreed with the
suggestion.
But because Burrell was in such a state of despair and
close to suicide he was allowed back into the rooms.
Unlike many
other members of staff he had a key to Diana’s rooms and was allowed back
inside.
Colin Tebbutt has not asked for or
received payment for this interview |
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