Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, recently revealed she hated spending Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk. She, however, knew that she had to participate in the festivities as long as she was married to Charles.
THE MISSING FOOTAGE – 14 HOURS ERASED
French investigators claimed 14 hours of tunnel surveillance were “lost” after Princess Diana’s accident. Not stolen – overwritten. The timing aligned exactly with the transfer of her body tc the hospital. For tech experts, that isn’t… pic.twitter.com/QW8E3odusH
— Elizabeth (@Ekp1151) October 11, 2025
In an interview with Claire magazine, Burrel said that Diana ‘could not stand’ the Royal Family’s holiday traditions. This often put her in difficult positions.
“It’s like a pressure cooker, Sandringham at Christmas, of people and emotion. Some can stand it, some can’t. Diana couldn’t stand it,” he said.
Diana married the future King Charles in 1981, entering the Royal Family. But the fairytale didn’t last. Charles and Diana separated in 1992. To make matters worse, she had to spend time with her in-laws, who were not fond of her and the tension went both ways. Moreover, Diana was forced to pretend that all was well for her children’s sake.
The royal couple’s divorce was finalized in 1996, a year before Diana was killed in a car crash.
CCTV images show Princess Diana at the Ritz Hotel Paris with Dodi Al-Fayed on August 30, 1997 shortly before their car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. Diana lost her life and so did Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul. pic.twitter.com/OuPa5zX7dF
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Just like her marriage, Diana’s final Christmas was not a happy one. The festival is synonymous with warmth and togetherness. However, for her, her last Christmas ended up being a depressing and lonely affair. She spent it alone, with only her oven for company.
Darren McGrady, a royal chef, told Gala that Diana was all alone on her final Christmas Eve as she had given her staff time off to be with their respective families. She had also asked them to leave some food in the refrigerator. Diana would reheat it and eat it with no one for company.
“It was always pretty sad when you worked with the Princess on Christmas Eve,” he said. Interestingly, this revelation has resurfaced shortly after an anonymous source claimed that files containing details of Diana’s death may stay buried till 2082. The source even hinted at the possibility of them never being declassified.
Princess Diana’s sudden and untimely death remains one of the greatest tragedies of the 90s. And, these details make her last Christmas all the more tragic.
