Paul Burrell blasts ‘distasteful’ Harry and Meghan car chase comparisons to Princess Diana crash and claims she would be ‘appalled’

Former royal butler Paul Burrell has weighed in on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s car chase, and shared his reaction to it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a ‘near catastrophic’ chase by paparazzi on Tuesday night in New York, which was said to last over two hours.

A spokesperson said: ‘This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers.’

They added: ‘Despite being confronted by uniformed police multiple times, the paparazzi’s cars continued their pursuit in trying to follow the Sussexes and Doria to the private residence they were staying at.

‘Traffic violations by the drivers include driving on a sidewalk, going through red lights, reversing down a one way street, driving while photographing and illegally blocking a moving vehicle.

‘While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.’

Paul Burrell has weighed in (Picture: Reuters / Rex)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a ‘near catastrophic’ chase by paparazzi on Tuesday night in New York (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women)

Since the incident occurred, people have been comparing the car chase to Princess Diana’s final moments, after she died in hospital from injuries sustained in a car accident in a road tunnel in Paris.

Her partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140 that crashed in the Pont de ‘Alma tunnel in Paris, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene.

However, Paul has blasted the ‘distasteful’ comparisons.

Piers Morgan, who has made his opinion very clear regarding the car chase, questioned the 64-year-old on Talk TV’s Uncensored, asking: ‘Harry is trying again to use what happened to his mother as justification of his over-emotional, over-egging of the paparazzi soufflé.

‘When he evokes what happened to his mother in the Paris underpath, do you understand it or do you think he’s doing this too much?’

Piers Morgan has made his feelings heard loud and clear (Picture: Twitter/PiersUncensored)

Paul’s reply began: ‘I think it’s too much, Piers.

‘I think this drama unfolding on the other side of the Atlantic is to make them more relevant again, it’s to bring them back into the public spotlight.

‘And as our dear late Queen said, our recollections may vary, that’s obviously what’s happening here.’

The I’m A Celebrity star continued: ‘To make any comparisons with a car chase in Paris, which took the Princess’ life, and one in Manhattan, is really, very sad.

‘It’s very sad, wrong and distasteful, they are two totally different circumstances.

‘The princess was actually avoiding the media, as much as she could possibly avoid the media that night, and the reverse, Meghan and Harry were courting it.

‘So there are two different circumstances here, nothing is similar other than photographs being taken.’

Paul Burrell has shared his thoughts (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The former royal butler claimed Princess Diana would be ‘appalled’ (Picture: Bettmann Archive)

He added: ‘I think it is very distasteful. There is clearly an incident here, but it’s been blown out of all proportion.’

Talking about what he think Princess Diana would say to Harry at this moment, Paul added that he thought she would say: ‘Harry, I applaud you for marrying for love and looking after your family but you have to abide by the rules.’

He went on: ‘She would be appalled by this mess that’s going on at the moment.

‘Harry seems to be a victim, he seems to be a passenger on this train and it’s going to end in tears, and we all know it’s going to end in tears.’

‘I don’t want to see his heart broke again,’ Paul shared, adding: ‘I don’t think he can save himself.’

Piers Morgan Uncensored airs weekdays at 8pm on TalkTV.

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‘It’s very sad, wrong and distasteful.’