Paul Burrell reveals he and his ex-wife both cried when he told her he was going to marry his boyfriend
PRINCESS Diana's former butler has revealed how he felt selfish after admitting to his ex-wife he was going to marry another man.
Paul Burrell said his ex-wife Maria was driven to tears after he told her the news, despite the couple having already ended their marriage of more than 30 years.
The 58-year-old said he and his ex-wife Maria had been through "hell" together but during their frank conversation, she pointed out he risked alienating his family.
He : "She said, ‘Does that mean we’ll never be together as a family again?’
"I told her, ‘No, it doesn’t mean that. It’s a different chapter. I want you to be happy for me. I love you. You have to set me free."
But he said that he believed Princess Diana would have supported him, saying: "She’d have given me a hug and told me everything would be OK. She’s the one voice I want to hear, but I can’t hear."
Burrell said he felt "selfish" for his decision, saying he did not want to hurt the most important people in his life.
He added he had also struggled to tell his sons, Nick and Alex, who live in Florida with their mother, about his wedding.
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Burrell will tie the knot with Graham Cooper, 58, in April, saying that it would be a "glamorous" affair.
He has previously said that while nothing fazed his former employer the Queen, she may be "bewildered" by his life now, having given him marital advice decades ago and pointing him towards the women working at the Palace - where he ultimately met and fell in love with Maria.
Paul told only one woman he was secretly gay — his beloved Princess Diana.
He said he desperately craved Diana's approval, saying he often dreamt about her.
He has previously revealed that the Queen knew about his involvement in a gay orgy on the Royal Yacht in the 1980s.
Burrell and wife Maria, who met while working at the palace and have two sons Alexander and Nicholas, confirmed their divorce last year saying they remain the “best of friends”.
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