Princess Di’s Mom Calls Her Daughter a "Whore"

By Pamela Mortimer

At a coroner’s inquest into Princess Diana’s death, former butler Paul Burrell relayed that there was family strife regarding Di’s relationships with various men. According to Burrell, Di’s mother, the late Frances Shand-Kydd destroyed a large number of documents that may have been able to shed light on the Paris tragedy. According to Shand-Kydd, about 100 documents had been destroyed. Burrell stated that he carried away half a dozen trash bags that were filled with shredded paper. Burrell didn’t challenge Shand-Kydd on the act.

"Mrs. Shand-Kydd was quite formidable ... and she did what she thought best," Burrell said.

Burrell also testified that Di had invited him to listen in on a phone conversation with her mother in June 1997. Apparently, Di’s mum didn’t like the fact that her daughter had had romances with Muslim men. This was before the princess’ romance with Dodi Fayed.

Burrell stated that he heard Shand-Kydd say that Diana was "a whore and that she was (expletive deleted) around with Muslim men."

"She said some very nasty things," Burrell said.

Burrell also testified that there might be a secret about the late princess notated in a journal he kept. He was unwilling to disclose the book then later denied ever having ever kept one. Burrell also declined a request to retrieve documents from his Cheshire home.

Burrell was also reluctant to say which member of the royal family told Diana she should beware of surveillance but he did write the name down on a piece of paper which was passed to the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker. After reading the document, Baker said it was not relevant to the proceeding.

Whatever the secret was, Burrell said it had nothing to do with Dodi Fayed, whose death with Diana in a Paris car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, is also a subject of the inquest.

Burrell’s 2003 book, "A Royal Duty," quoted a note that Diana wrote to him not long before she died. "This coming weekend is an important one," she wrote, relayed she was touched that he shared in her excitement.

"What a secret!" the note said.

"What was it?" Attorney Michael Mansfield asked Burrell.

Burrell wouldn't say what it was but did relay that it "had nothing to do with Dodi Al Fayed."

Later he said, "I cannot remember what that particular secret was."