DIANA FRIEND DEFENDS BUTLER IN TV INTERVIEW SET FOR AIR; PRINCESS WOULD HAVE 'TURNED IN HER GRAVE' OVER BURRELL'S TRIAL
Sun Dec 08 2002 13:21:11 ET
'Tonight with Trevor McDonald'
Friday, November 8, 2002 at 8pm on ITV1
A close friend of Princess Diana has attacked the Spencer family for
putting
Paul Burrell's 'back against the wall' by contacting police over missing
items
from her Kensington apartment.
In an exclusive interview on ITV1's Tonight With Trevor McDonald
programme last
night [FRIDAY], handbag designer Lana Marks criticises the Spencer
family for their
actions both during Diana's life and after her death claiming Paul
Burrell was more
like family to her than they could ever be.
And she says Diana would have "turned in her grave" and been "mortified"
by the
case coming to court.
Lana defends Paul Burrell's decision to lift the lid on his relationship
with the
princess, claiming it has been caused by the Spencer family putting him
in the
situation where he felt he had to come forward and speak out.
Lana, who became friends with the princess after designing a handbag for
her, says: "It's not Paul who's lifting the lid on Diana and her family,
his back
has been against the wall. It's unfortunately Diana's own family who
caused
the set of circumstances in which Paul had to come forward.
"It's Diana's sister Sarah, unfortunately, who created the circumstances
in
which Paul's back has been completely and utterly against the wall. And
it
wasn't necessary at all."
"I'm very surprised about the Spencer family pushing this into the hands
of the
police and into the courts of the Old Bailey. I think Diana would have
been
very, very distressed about that as well, because there are other means
of
going about questioning somebody about something. You can use an
intermediary, you can pick up the phone and call yourself.
"I mean, Sarah knew Paul and you don't have to pick up the phone and
call
the police to make an investigation and to ransack his house for hours
and
hours and hours. I'm extraordinary surprised by people of such enormous
standing resorting to such an unkind action."
When asked what Diana would have thought about the case she says: "Diana
would have been mortified about this case coming to trial had she known,
she
would have turned in her grave.
"She would have been greatly distressed and would have done everything
possible in her power to contact her family, to contact the police, to
contact Her
Majesty the Queen, to pick up the phone and call Charles... The first of
everybody
she would call would be William and Harry and she would tell them that
it was
completely and utterly untrue, because she told them everything.
"She discussed everything with William and Harry and in a case like this
I truly
believe that she would rushed to William and Harry and said it's
completely
untrue because they were fed incorrect information by the police. I
think
Diana would be devastated and enormously upset to the point of tears."
In the interview Lana also recalls occasions when she felt Paul was
there for Diana,
yet the Spencer family were not, including Prince William's
confirmation:
"During Prince William's confirmation, Diana didn't even know until the
last
minute where she had to take Harry to meet with William and the Royal
family
and where were her family? They weren't there.
"It was Paul who took Diana, with Harry, to William's confirmation. My
goodness! William, who's to be the future King of England, and Harry,
as we
know, is the spare and here was Paul acting like family to her. He was
extraordinary. He calmed her down - she had fears, she was anxious
about
the meeting, about the meeting also with Charles at that time because
they
had split up and it was a very difficult time for her and her family
were not
there to support her. It was Paul who was her family, who was her rock,
and
who was extraordinary to her then and many, many other occasions at her
time of need. "
On another occasion Lana phoned Kensington Palace to console Diana
after the death of Gianni Versace. But the princess had already flown to
Italy
for the funeral and Paul was left looking after princes William and
Harry.
"Diana had to dash off to Versace's funeral in Italy, and William and
Harry
were with her at that time, in her apartment in Kensington Palace, and
of
course, Versace had created so many outfits for her, out of respect she
definitely had to go, and I called Diana that night and unfortunately
missed
her, she'd already dashed off to the airport, and Paul, of course,
answered the
phone....
"I heard this boisterous playing in the background of two boys, and I
said, 'Oh my gosh' and Paul said 'Do you think you could pipe down a
little
bit, your mum's friend's on the line calling long distance', and it was
quite
sweet, and I said, 'Paul, it's wonderful to know that they're regular
children
having a good time'. And again, it was Paul who was alone with the
boys while Diana dashed off to Versace's funeral in Italy, and her
family were
not there with the boys to support her and to support them."
Lana, who was due to give evidence for the defence at the trial of Paul
Burrell
before it spectacularly collapsed, says Diana told her about items she
had
given Paul and his wife Maria and asked Lana's advice about such items.
"I believe that Paul was in an extraordinarily difficult position when
Diana
passed away so suddenly. There were a lot of tensions going on between
different parties which Paul obviously was well aware of in his position
with
Diana for so long and then prior to that, Diana and Charles, and then
prior to
that, the Royal Family - the Queen.
"And he was so incredibly loyal to Diana and to Diana's legacy that as
he had
mentioned to Her Majesty, the Queen, he was keeping some things in
storage
and I anticipate that he was keeping these in safekeeping for William
and
Harry. And if you look at a lot of the items on the list, yes, there's
300 and
something items, but a lot of them are photographs, CDs and family
things
that as he had discussed with the Queen, he was keeping for safekeeping.
"There were many other items there that Diana herself had told me that
she had
given Paul and asked my opinion on a number of occasions about the
things that she
had given to Paul and Maria, Paul's wife, who's actually the same size
as Diana was.
"Diana would sometimes call me and say 'Lana, I've got so many of these
clothes.
I've given Paul some things and Maria some things of mine that I really
can't wear
anymore and I don't have need for anymore and what do you think about
this? What
is your feeling about this?' And I'd say, 'Diana, it's so
extraordinarily kind of you and
I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated by both Paul and Maria, and how
lovely of
you. I really feel that you're doing the right thing'."
"I first met Paul Burrell when I paid my first private visit to
Kensington Palace to have
lunch with Diana and this is about a year and a half before Diana's
awful accident... I
remember at perfect timing, turning to the right to be right opposite
her front door and
the door opened promptly and here was this lovely gentleman, leaped
outside the
door with this broad, beaming smile, 'Mrs. Marx, welcome to Kensington
Palace'...
His demeanor made me relax so much and feel so comfortable because,
after all, it
was quite daunting arriving at Kensington Palace for the first time to
have a private
lunch with Diana, Princess of Wales."
Speaking exclusively to Tonight reporter Fiona Foster, Lana criticises
Diana's
mother Frances Shand Kydd and says despite reports in the media, Paul
was
the Princess's true rock.
"Paul Burrell was incredibly important in Diana's life. She often
referred about
him, personally, to me as her rock. The controversial 'rock' that we
hear
about, and she relied on him so much and she knew that she could trust
him
implicitly with her life, with her friends, with her role in the world
and her role
with the Royal Family and he was never, never out of place and he was an
enormous support to her because of this and she knew that he could
handle
so many things for her. He was also an enormous support system in so
many
circumstances when her family weren't there, on hand, right there for
her.
"Diana's mother referred to Paul and to the 'rock 'as a general
terminology.
Unfortunately, I don't think she was with Diana enough to actually know
what
Diana meant by that. I'm terribly sorry to say this, but Paul was her
true rock.
He was the only one who was there for her all the time.
"If she wanted him, and I quote this in the American way, 24/7 - 24
hours a
day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Paul was there for her. He
would
do anything for her. He would take her places. He would bring her to
lunches
to me in his own little car and she'd be crouched down at the back and
then
she'd pop her head up and he would wait for her for hours outside the
hotel
restaurant that we meet for lunch."
Of Diana's relationship with her mother she says the princess
desperately
wanted to be close to her.
"Diana, unfortunately, very unfortunately, did not have a good
relationship with
her mother and missed this relationship - desperately wanted to have a
good
relationship with her mother, but unfortunately, this wasn't to happen.
Her
mum, unfortunately, would make many, many disparaging comments to Diana
which, you know, would greatly distress Diana.
"You have to consider Diana's position as then to be the future, you
know, Queen of England possibly, or at least her son would be the future
King of England, and I think she felt greatly let down. And she
desperately
wanted this closeness from her mum and from her family and she spoke to
me about this on a number of occasions and I think she greatly missed
her
father.
"She was very fond of her father, she was so delighted that he was well
enough to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. He'd had this awful
stroke
and she was very worried, it was the greatest concern that day, during
her
wedding, and she greatly missed her father. And I honestly [think] if
he would
have been alive, things would have been different as well. But
unfortunately [Diana]
did not have the kind of relationship we all cherish with our mothers."
Lana also raises concerns about Earl Spencer's refusal to allow Diana a
cottage on
his estate because of fears over media intrusion despite later, after
the princess's
death, creating a memorial and opening it to the public.
"Diana was terribly disappointed with her brother at one stage, when she
had
spoken to him about having a little cottage for her use on the property
of
Althorp, and she wanted to bring William and Harry there sometimes on
the
weekend, where they could just escape into the country.
"And he had turned her down and said, no he was not going to make this
possible and that he was concerned about the press and he had other
concerns about sightseers and this and that, and when I consider, this
is a
very small request by Diana, for herself and the boys, and at that stage
she
was to be the future Queen of England and her son, at least, definitely,
would
be the future King of England.
"And I'm so surprised by her brother's actions in the circumstance, and
I think
Diana was perfectly merited to be totally disappointed with her brother
and the
thing that I don't understand is what about now? What about all the
sightseers at Althorp now? All the onlookers, all the press, doesn't
seem to
be bothering him at the moment, so why would he have been concerned
then?"
Of Diana's relationship with her sister Lady Sarah McCorquordale, Lana
adds:
"Diana spoke to me on several occasions about her sister Lady Sarah.
She said that
she was really a country person - that wasn't her exact language - and
that she didn't
very often come down to London to see her.
"This greatly disappointed Diana in her role and I feel that she would
have loved to
have had a closer relationship. They didn't speak terribly often on the
phone and I
think Diana again, as with her mother, would have wished a much closer
relationship
with her."
When asked how she thought Diana would have dealt with her family being
pilloried
in public, she says: "This would have been an extraordinary difficult
situation for
Diana because she was let down by her family who really, no matter what,
should
have supported her. Earl Spencer should have given her a little cottage
on the
property for her and William and Harry. And her mum and Sarah and her
other sister
should have been there for her at her times of need, more than anyone,
and they
deserted her at incredibly important times. I understand that blood is
thicker than
water.
"However, I really feel that Diana regarded Paul as her family more than
her own
family. And if you consider that her family did not even carry out her
wishes in her
will, I would find that Diana would be mortified by this... Diana wanted
her
godchildren to have a part of her estate and her family are not carrying
out her
wishes."
Discussing the reasons for Diana's butler keeping certain items after
the death, Lana
says Paul did it to protect Diana's legacy and is still grieving her
death:
"I think that the public don't realise also that Paul is still grieving.
Paul has not
gotten over Diana's death and I've been fortunate, married to a
professor of
psychiatry for 26 years, so a little bit is wrapped up, but I don't
think
he's gotten over this. I don't think he's dealt with this mentally, and
I think that
he wouldn't want these letters and some of these possessions which
really
define Diana's legacy in a very important way to get into what would
have
been called then, "the wrong hands."
She adds: "Paul is not taking revenge against Diana's family. He is
merely
coming out and telling the truth and under the circumstances you have to
remember that he's been living for two years under a terrible cloud with
his
back against the wall, with the threat of prison for seven years. This
is an
extraordinary blow to be dealt by the sister of the Princess of Wales,
who was
so incredibly loyal to all this time."
Lana recalls her relationship with Diana and explains how they met at
several fashion
events before becoming close friends:
"Diana confided in me in issues that concerned her at the time, issues
that she could
discuss with me and I would say there were no holds barred. She
discussed intimate
issues which I probably could never repeat and she discussed everything
possible
that she felt that she could discuss with me at that particular time -
whatever was
going on, whether it was a fashion issue or it was a personal issue, or
an issue
concerning herself and the Royal family or her children.
"She also called me her 'American friend', her 'American connection' and
she
laughed sometimes because we also sent each other letters. She would
send them
by DHL and I would send them by Fed Ex and she laughed and she said that
we
were keeping them in business.
"She was an extraordinary lovely person, kind, considerate, funny with
self-
depreciating humour. She never professed to be an academic, but she
certainly was not the silly person that she was portrayed as by the
press
earlier on.
Lana expresses concerns about Diana's legacy and the effects the trial
and
subsequent events could have on Princes William and Harry.
"I think that William and Harry are in an incredibly difficult situation
and I
would hope that Charles would be counselling them and spending enormous
amount of time with them at this time. I don't know how much time
William
and Harry have been spending with Diana's mother and sisters and brother
and from what I gather, not terribly much.
"under the circumstances, I think they would be very understanding of
Paul's
situation. They have known Paul incredibly well in the past, they've
played
with Paul's children, they've spent time with Paul alone when Diana had
to
dash away and I'm sure that they're incredibly understanding.
"The only unfortunate thing about this is, yes, all this dirty linen is
out there in public
about the rift with Diana and her own family and I cannot believe that
they brought
this to bear upon Paul, and he's just defending himself in the only way
he knows
possible at this time and coming forward. And I'm sure that William and
Harry
understand."
