THERE'S an old joke about a couple from one of the North's most depressing estates who moved to London and were offered a house next door to Buckingham Palace.

They refused, explaining to Westminster Council that they were not prepared to live next door to such a dysfunctional family.

Perhaps that is a little cruel on the Queen who has given great service to the country, but the fact is that over the years the antics of the Royal entourage have contributed to a lessening in the public respect for the Crown.

To the list of offenders can now be added Paul Burrell, the Royal butler who likes to refer to himself as Diana's rock. Let me say first of all that I don't believe he should ever have been charged with theft and was rightly acquitted. The one inquiry that is now necessary is into why senior police officers apparently misled Prince Charles by suggesting that Mr Burrell had worn the late Princess Diana's clothes and sold her private possessions when the court was told there was no such evidence.

But if Paul Burrell is innocent of criminal charges, he is, in my eyes, guilty of the most serious of moral charges. What the butler saw during his years of service is undoubtedly of great interest to members of the public but by drop-feeding his tittle-tattle - in exchange for six figure sums - Mr Burrell is betraying his confidante, Diana Princess of Wales.

His stage-managed performance when interviewed on TV by Trevor McDonald was nauseating. Clearly in shot was a photo of the late Princess of Wales - sadly even her supposedly closest friends will not let her rest in peace. And throughout the interview Mr Burrell seemed to be imitating his former employer in her famous TV chat. The staring eyes, long pauses, tear-filled eyes and head to one side.

He has vowed to protect Diana as he did in life - yet he repeatedly attacked her elderly mother, sister and brother. He talks of smuggling male guests into Kensington Palace, the Princess's medical problems and private rows.

The Spencers and the Windsors are all culpable in this mess and, to some extent, have brought it upon themselves. However, there are two groups of people who are innocent in all of this and I wonder if Paul Burrell has ever stood back just to reflect for one moment on the lasting effect his actions will have on them.

The first 'victims' are his own family who were photographed with Mr Burrell in New York earlier this week. The others are the Princes William and Harry.

Growing up without a mum must be devastating enough without every second of her life being revealed and dissected by the media and public.

Paul Burrell is fueling this feeding frenzy. He may have been loyal to the Princess in life but in death he has betrayed Diana and her sons.

Published: 15/11/2002