Princess Diana died when Prince Harry was just 12 years old, three weeks shy of his 13th birthday. But in the years before her death, she always made a big fuss over both of her sons’ birthdays.
After Diana and then-Prince Charles separated, the future Duke of Sussex was usually with his father and the rest of the royal family at the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on his actual birthday. Therefore, he would celebrate with his mother before he left England.
With the Duke of Sussex celebrating his 40th birthday on Sept. 15, Princess Diana’s former assistant is remembering one year when she had a “naughty” cake made for him that left Harry blushing.
The cake Princess Diana got that left Prince Harry ‘blushing red’
Prince Harry at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Paul Burrell began working in the royal household when he was 18 years old and served as the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to the household of Charles and Diana. When they split, Burrell remained on Diana’s staff and looked after her and her sons until the princess’s tragic death.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, Burrell recalled: “Harry was often in Scotland at Balmoral over his birthdays with his father, so very often Diana wouldn’t see Harry on the actual day and had to celebrate early. She once got the chef to make a rude birthday cake with caricature toppings. There were marzipan babes draped across the top of the cake like little plasticine people. Diana was in a fit of giggles over it, and Harry was left blushing beetroot red.”
Burrell also spoke about how he thinks the Duke of Sussex is celebrating his 40th birthday opining: “A 40th birthday is a milestone and a sure time of reflection for Harry. It’s halfway through his life and he’ll be reflecting on the past, on what’s happened and what is going to happen in the future. I think he’ll be reflecting on what could have been too. I’m sure that thought hits him on a daily basis. Life isn’t as elevated or grand as it used to be for Harry. His life had meaning and purpose and now he’s separated and divided from his family.”
Only 1 person could have stopped things from getting this bad between William and Harry
Prince William and Prince Harry after unveiling a statue of their mother Princess Diana in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace | Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images
As bad as things have gotten between the royals since the duke and Meghan stepped down, many royal watchers have been holding out hope that Harry and Prince William would be able to reconcile at some point. But according to Burrell, that’s not happening because the one and only person who would have prevented things from getting this far is no longer here.
“I don’t think any of this would have happened if Diana had been here because she would have had her hand firmly on the tiller and she’d have been steering her boys in the right direction,” Burrell said. “Her boys were her world to her, they meant more to her than anything else. She would have been in control of the situation.
“Unfortunately, Harry was left adrift when Diana died, and no one took care of him as they should have. But the royal family are not very good at taking care of people. You just get on with it and you’re never nurtured. Harry was just a child, and he just had to get on with it. If Diana hadn’t died, Harry wouldn’t be where he is now. It’s a very sad situation. I want to see it mended more than anyone but I think it’s too late now, which is sad.”
