Former royal staffer Paul Burrell says Prince Harry has been ‘brainwashed’ by Meghan Markle

Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell has sensationally claimed that Prince Harry has “finally woken up to the truth” after being blinded by his wife for so long.

Prince Harry has “finally woken up to the truth” about his wife Meghan Markle, according to the late Princess Diana’s former butler.

Paul Burrell, who worked for Diana for over 10 years until her sudden tragic death in 1997, has claimed that the Duke of Sussex is only staying in the marriage to the Duchess of Sussex so that he can see his two children, Archie and Lilibet, grow up.

“Am I the only person in the UK that is thinking, has Harry finally woken up to the truth? Has he finally seen the truth of what his wife is doing and that he’s been brainwashed and mesmerised by her beauty or something? Because we all know that but he doesn’t seem to see it,” Mr Burrell said on GB News Friday, the New York Post reports.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City. Picture: AFP

Mr Burrell, 64, then echoed King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold’s recent prediction, saying he believes that the exiled royal will soon return home to England permanently.

“I have no doubt that when this happens, because we all know that it will happen, when it does happen then he will return to the United Kingdom and I think his father, the King, and his brother, the Prince of Wales will both greet him back into the country with open arms,” the ex-royal staffer claimed.

“There is an element of Harry we all love, we just don’t understand why he’s doing what he’s doing at the moment.”

Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler has commented on Prince Harry. Picture: ITV

The Sussexes, who married in 2018, renounced royal life and their duties as working royals in 2020 and emigrated to California.

They have only returned to the UK a few times since.

Mr Burrell sensationally claimed that Harry’s own experience of dealing with a broken home is the reason he would resist pursuing a divorce.

“I personally know Harry and I think he’s always wanted to be a father, he’s always wanted children, I think this element of splitting from his family right now is a little premature,” Mr Burrell said.

“I think he would want to stay in that driving seat to watch his children grow because if he left this relationship now he’d lose his children because she’d keep them in America and he wouldn’t see them.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with Archie and Lilibet Picture: The Times

“Because of all of that, I think Harry will try to stick with the program for as long as he possibly can,” he went on.

“You will inevitably see cracks in this marriage because we know with great press and great criticism and world fame comes great pressure and this couple will have great pressure on their shoulders.

“I personally do not want to see Harry unhappy again, I’ve seen too many tears, I want to see him very happy, I want to see him and his family grow but, y’know, there’s a niggling doubt in the back of my head,” Mr Burrell added.

Paul Burrell and Princess Diana in happier times. Picture: Paul Burrell

It comes as The Sun reports that Prince William and Prince Harry secretly met Mr Burrell before the Duke of Sussex’s wedding.

The royal brothers were reported to have last spoken to him after Diana’s funeral in 1997 when Prince Harry was 12 and Prince William was 15.

According to The Sun, they met at Kensington Palace in 2017, a week before Harry announced his engagement to Meghan.

Mr Burrell attended alone and answered all their questions.

A royal source said: “It was a very low-key meeting but the brothers wanted to speak to someone who had been close to their mother. There were some aspects of her life they felt Paul could provide better clarity on.

“They asked to keep it all under wraps and he respected that. Paul was happy to tell them everything he knew and shed some light on their memories.”

Mr Burrell was Diana’s confidant for ten years until her death in a Paris car crash.

But in 2003 the princes condemned him for writing a book about his time working for her.

Mr Burrell, recently seen on I’m A Celebrity: South Africa, said earlier this year he wished to reunite the estranged royal brothers — as it was what Diana “would have desperately wanted”.