Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly well written
Review: Hats off to Burrell for setting the record straight. This is an honest and candid narrative of Burrell's years as an employee of the Royal Family. It is far from being the "tell-all" some believe it to be. Rather, it is a sensitive account by a devoted employee and confidante to Princess Diana. I found the book remarkable in that it detailed many of Diana's acts of compassion. For example, she sat by the bedside of a friend dying of AIDS. It was also heartening to learn of Diana's extraordinary generosity to her staff and friends.I was uncomfortable, however, when the author aired some of the more private conversations that supposedly took place within the royal family. For example, after the split between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Burrell makes references to things said and done by the Queen and Prince Philip. These things are mere speculations, not fact, and have no context in this book, in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed this work about one of the world's most fascinating women. After all the energy Paul Burrell put into his career, I hope he will be able to spend more time with his family, gain perspective, and continue moving forward. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Of course, Diana would be pleased!
Review: When Diana's sons made a statement against Paul Burrell, you can hardly blame them - they are living with their father who is dating Camila. To say they were influenced in this decision is an understatement.
There is no question Diana would be pleased with this book. How many times have I heard the media say, "It's surprising how the Princess has receded into the background...who'd have thought Camila would find such positive press?"
You can bet this book set that design plan back a few years. Camila's publicist must be looking for another job!
Of course, there probably is a bit of revenge on Mr. Burrell's part, but can you blame him? He was Diana's most trusted companion and when he was on trial, the Royal family deserted him. I think there is a big difference between this book and that twit who dated Di for 5 years and wrote a tell-all book and wanted to sell her letters. Diana doesn't come out of this the loser. I believe every word Burrell writes. I mean, come on, she did have a lot of suiters, but he says she had only one man in mind for marriage after Charles. And after they parted ways, I'm not surprised she ran off with the rich Mr. Fayed to forget her troubles. Who wouldn't?
Donald D'Haene,
Rating:
Summary: I'm so grateful my forefathers LEFT England!
Review: Thank goodness that petty, small minded, bored place called ENGLAND is not my homeland. The establishment seems to enjoy driving human beings into the ground with their yellow journalism, press stalkings, and more. That is a cursed land in my humble opinion and I am saddened that Diana did not have the chance to move to the good ole USA and once and for all enjoy a good life. This book made me cry one minute, laugh the next, and question Paul's emotional health all in one. I think there is something in the water there that makes people crazy, seriously. There are so many dead bodies (proverbial) of shattered lives and people who take pleasure in humiliating others, etc. that the Monarchy should be shut down and the government over there restructured. There's too many people without enough to do I think so they sit around conjuring up mean press stories so that they can gain some imaginary self esteem and be recognized for inane phrases such as "The Dutchess of Pork" and so on. God must have thought so too, long ago even, or He wouldn't have led so many people AWAY from that place. Those Brits need more fresh air, clean water, and land to romp those twisted minds on. Diana was one of the most remarkable human beings to live in my lifetime and the establishment still, to this day, treats her like dirt. There's just something so twisted about their social structures. Power, money, fame, religion. I think they are all ergot poisioned! Why don't they have any statues of Diana? None of it makes any sense to me. Spend your travel dollars and go to a better place, or better yet, visit one of Diana's favorite charities and serve. Don't feed that place. Those brits all need to get a tan and have some moles removed, and brush their smelly looking teeth. This is the saddest story of my generation.
Rating:
Summary: Smashing Success!
Review: I have read every book ever written about Diana, Princess of Wales and this one was by far the best. Paul Burrell had and probably to this day has a sense of respect and duty to his ex boss as well as her sons. It takes you behind the scenes with a look inside the Royal family that is not only unbiased, but truthful. It dispells the myths about Diana's relationship with the Queen and Prince Phillip. Critics would like us to believe that she was not well liked by her in-laws and unloved by Prince Charles, but that is not true. I rather enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Paul!!!
Review: Paul Burrell obviously did not write this book for no other reason than to set the record straight and I admire him for not trying to cash in on his extremely close relationship with the princess. The poor man has endured enough pain and loss in his life and I truly hope his path from this point on is easier. I like the way he paints Diana in an honest light: as a lovely woman with her share of human foibles and troubles just like the rest of us. He trashes no one in the book including The Royal Family unless they honestly deserve it, otherwise he tries to remain neutral and fair. Prince Charles is a trip! But then are we really surprised? I also share the belief that the Princess' death was not an accident in the pure sense of the word, I have believed that from the beginning. Sadly, the world lost an amazing woman. I wish Paul the best and I thank him for this extremely interesting insight into a very remarkable relationship.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad!
Review: I found this book interesting to begin with, Burrell
really harping on his "special" relationship with the Princess.
Toward the end of the book I was questioning his motives for
writing the book in the light of criminal allegations in which
he was involved. By the end I was certain he had a hidden
agenda. Not what I expected.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book for Diana Fans
Review: A fascinating look inside the royal world. Paul Burrell's duties as a member of the royal household, first as a butler to Queen Elizabeth II, at Highgove for Prince Charles and Princess Diana and last in Princess Diana's Kensington Palace household, give him unique insight and voice to the Diana years in the Windsor family. Loyal to the end, his writing gives us the "behind the scenes viewpoint" for the events we all so publicly witnessed. Shame on Prince William and Prince Harry for "denoucing" this book. If they had actually read the book, they would see that Mr. Burrell did not reveal anything untoward about their mother, the Queen, Prince Charles or them. He was very respectful and considerate. A definite "must read" for any royal watcher. A treat to read from cover to cover.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Read And An Emotional Roller-Coaster
Review: This is simply a fantastic book, well written, engrossing, and a page-turner. I was surprised to discover that it is among the best books that I have read recently, rating up there among the top three or four books. It takes the reader through a 21 year plus journey by Paul Burrell an employee working for the Royal Family and especially Lady Diana - with many emotional highs and lows. I thought it might be a bit of a mindless pop culture read, but it is far from that and instead might be one of the best books ever written on the Royals - as seen from the inside. It is a 450 page turner and you cannot stop reading until the book is finished. The author was born in 1958 in Derbyshire. He attended a local two year long hotel management and catering college in 1974-76 and then after brief stint at a hotel he went to work for the Royal Family for the next twenty-one years. The book quickly covers the topics of his childhood and his parents, his first brief job, then the next twenty-one years of service to the Royal Family. It is written from his recollections and notes and has no footnotes, bibliography nor does the book even have an index. But it is still a good book and has a nice collection of color photos. He starts off at Buckingham Palace at a low level, and is promoted after a year or so to being a footman for the Queen - that job lasts for the next 10 years. In 1987 he and his wife Maria - that also works for the Queen - transfer to Highgrove in Gloucestershire 110 miles west of London to act as a butler for Prince Charles and Lady Diana as part of a small staff of under a dozen people in a beautiful country setting. Both he and his wife Maria enjoy there time together in the country with their children and the Princess's children. But it turns out that the location is just 11 miles from Camilla Parker Bowles; the Prince lives there most of the time while Diana spent the weekdays in London at Kensington Palace (KP) with the children and came out on just the weekends until shortly before the separation. With the location of Highgrove close to Camilla and with Diana in London, one can easily see the formula for disaster looming for the Princess's marriage. That job continues for Burrell until 1993 when he moves to KP in London to work exclusively for Lady Diana when the Royal marriage falls apart, and with an even smaller staff. His family and Lady Diana all live in London but not together as in Highgrove. Unlike his work for the Queen and Prince Charles, he becomes a close confidant and advisor to Lady Diana and one of her primary emotional supports. He manages her household and is present at her side almost 15 hours a day, seemingly around the clock except for Christmas days to advise and act as a sounding board for the Princess - or in her words "captain of my ship. He received the Royal Victorian Medal of recognition from the Queen for his years of service, especially to Diana. He continues working at KP until Diana's death in 1997. He knows as much about Lady Diana as anyone alive and spends about 300 pages describing their interaction and what he knows - mainly all positive about Diana. In 1999 he was unexpectedly charged by the police who were encouraged by statements from the Spencer family that indicated that he had stolen items from Princess Diana (300 gifts received over the years plus items and papers he was storing). The book chronicles the police search of his home, his arrest and time in jail, and the subsequent events leading to the trial at the Old Bailey in London. The trial ends suddenly with the unexpected intervention of the Queen during that trial. It turned out that the Queen had learned directly from Burrell during a 2-3 hour meeting between Burrell and the Queen at Buckingham Palace after Diana's death but before the police investigation that he had the items at his home and they were never stolen. Many were gifts or were discarded items from Diana that she had wanted the Burrells to keep, and a few were being stored - so the charges by the police and Diana's family were groundless. With the Queen's comments to confirm that fact, the trial was stopped and all the charges were dropped. What an emotional trip! The book leaves one exhausted and emotionally drained. A fine book and a great read. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: Great, Honest Book about Princess Di
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I thought Mr. Burrell wrote it very well and it gives you a real look into her life. I see nothing that makes her look bad or that reveals anything we didnt already know. I think all people interested in Princess Diana should read this book, as it is written by someone who saw her almost every day, not someone who heard or witnessed it strictly from the media or unloyal friends. A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell is very respectful to Princess Diana, and is a must read! I also respect Paul Burrell very much and his story comes across very honest. Good job on being "there for her".
Rating:
Summary: It brought back the sadness....
Review: What an extraordinary woman Princess Diana was! I was heartbroken when she died, and was not looking forward to the chapter concerning her death, yet, I was also curious to learn more, which I did. How the Britsh press, or anyone else, could criticize this book is a mystery to me. The one person with any credibility about Diana and her life was Paul Burrell, which is why I bought this book. He wrote candidly, honestly, and with such compassion. The reader was allowed into the life of the royals, and what a treat that was! Every time I opened the book, I was back at Windsor Castle. There were many surprises for me. I expected to be angry at Prince Charles and the Queen, instead I felt anger towards Princess Diana's family...especially her brother, Earl Spencer. I can't believe that I gave any credence whatsoever to his speech at Diana's funeral. What a publicity hungry creep he turned out to be. No wonder Diana was so insecure. Who wouldn't be with a family like that. And her chain-smoking, wine drinking mother was also of little use. What intrigued me the most was that the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles were not the ogres that they were portrayed to be by the press. I loved learning this. However, even if Charles had not had the affair with frumpy Camilla, it is doubtful the marriage would have worked. Diana was simply too alive and vibrant for her boring artist/gardener husband. Paul Burrell's description about his relationship with Diana and their daily life together keeps the book interesting and alive throughout. When she died, however, the technicolor pages turned to black and white. I felt the the loss of Diana, Princess of Wales, all over again. What happened to Paul after Diana's death, his impending trial, should never have happened. The Royal Family should have stepped up to the plate on his behalf at the very beginning. Why they didn't was perplexing. The most difficult thing for me to understand is why William and Harry publicly denounced this book. This book was such a wonderful tribute to their mother! I don't blame Paul for writing "his" story about royal life. I am so happy he did. Her loss will be felt always.
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