Princess Diana would have had ‘buckets of confetti’, Paul Burrell says as he weds husband
Paul Burrell says Princess Diana would have been on the front row with “buckets of confetti” at his wedding.
The royal butler, who has been described as Diana’s “rock”, wed his new husband, Graham Cooper, in a lavish ceremony.
Burrell, 58, married Cooper, also 58, after splitting with his wife of 32 years.
He described the day as one of the happiest of his life, saying: “Life is about being true to who you are.”
He publicly confirmed he was gay earlier this year.
He told talkshow host Lorraine Kelly: “Diana would have been there in the front row with the pictures taken at the wedding, with buckets of confetti,” he said.
“It was [the wedding of my dreams]. The perfect day. He’s incredible. He’s my soulmate.”
The couple married in an intimate ceremony, reported to have cost some £30,000, saying “I do” infront of some 60 friends and family attending.
The men walked down the aisle to Barbra Streisand’s Some Enchanted Evening, before exchanging their vows.
After the ceremony, Kylie Minogue’s Better the Devil You Know played them out of the building, The Sun newspaper reports.
The happy pair first met on a train from London to Crewe.
Burrell said: “Our eyes met. it was a Sliding Doors moment, a brief encounter on the train.
“I looked and him and thought ‘you’re him’, I’ve been looking for you.
“As he got up to leave the train I thought, if I let this man go I’m never going to see him again, so this is your opportunity.”
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Burrell said after the ceremony: “Everything about the day has been perfect, made even more wonderful by the fact my two sons were here to share in the occasion.
“There’s no more hiding my unbridled happiness now.
“Life is about being true to who you are and, for the first time ever, I’m able to stand proudly beside my husband and say ‘This is who I am’.”
Mr Burrell also reportedly involved Princess Diana in the ceremony, wearing cufflinks given to him by Diana and a medal awarded to him by the Queen to recognise his service.
The Queen hasn’t publicly expressed a view on the marriage.
The royal butler previously wed Maria, a fellow employee of the royal household, after the Queen encouraged him to settle down and find a woman.
He divorced his wife of 32 years six months ago, to allow him to marry Mr Cooper.
Mr Burrell became famous after he wrote a tell-all book of his life with Princess Diana.
He went on to do TV shows all round the world, and an appearances on reality TV shows I’m a Celebirty Get Me Out of Here and Celebrity Big Brother.
Mr Burrell’s two sons, Nick and Alex, only find out the news of his same-sex relationship in recent months, it’s reported, despite the decade long affair in secret.
2017 marks 20 years since Princess Diana passed away, with a special statue being commissioned to mark the occasion.
