Paul Burrell’s role as royal butler to the late Princess of Wales from 1987 until her death ten years later gave him a springboard to fame.
Burrell is now well known due to authoring a number of books about his time working with Princess Diana, alongside countless media appearances in which he offers up royal commentary.
When she was alive, Diana, Princess of Wales, called the butler “my rock” and described him as the only man she ever trusted.
Following media appearances in the wake of Prince Harry’s contentious memoir Spare, Paul has now divulged that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The 64-year-old announced the news during an appearance on British talk show Lorraine, saying he will undergo an operation next month to remove the affected prostate gland.
The cancer is causing a strain on Burrell’s body, telling the host, “I’m tired, I’m on hormone therapy, it’s robbing me of my testosterone so my beard isn’t growing as it should, and I’m getting hot flushes.”
Since Diana’s death Paul has muddied his ties with the Royal Family after doing countless explosive interviews about the late Princess. The relationship became further strained in 2003 after the release of his memoir, A Royal Duty, which lifted the lid on life behind the palace gates.
In 2002, he was charged with theft over Princess Diana’s property but the case was dropped.
During a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2004, he labelled Diana, Princess of Wales, as “lonely” and “desperate.”