Diana's former butler feels the heat

By Daniela Relph
BBC royal correspondent

Mr Burrell said he was deeply uncomfortable with the process

It was a picture of Princess Diana far removed from her public image.

Home alone over a weekend, microwaving her meals in the imposing surroundings of her Kensington Palace apartment.

But according to Maggie Rae, a lawyer to the princess, that was how life could be for probably the world's most famous woman.

She told the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed that the princess lived in what she described as an "odd environment".

She believed her client was "quite lonely".

It wasn't information of major importance to this inquest but it was another of those insights that just perhaps alters the way people perceive Diana.

Rocky road

And it's the personal stuff that seems to be getting to Paul Burrell - giving evidence at this inquest is proving gruelling for the former Royal Family butler.

Firstly, there were the 4,000 miles he travelled from his US home in Florida to the High Court in London.

Next, the 400-mile round trip to Cheshire on Monday night to collect documents the inquest wanted to see.

Then, the rocky road he's travelled under cross-examination from Mohamed Al Fayed's lawyer.

It was not quite the revelation expected - it was information the jury had already heard

At times Mr Burrell looked as though he wished he'd stayed at home. He arrived on Tuesday to resume his evidence after just two hours sleep.

He'd brought with him a number of notebooks and letters from Princess Diana for the coroner to review.

Lord Justice Scott Baker ruled they were not relevant to the business of the inquest, but that was not the end of it.

What about the last letter Mr Burrell said he'd received from Diana and had published in one of his books?

A letter in which the princess talked of a secret they shared. What was this big secret? Where was the letter?

'Disgraceful'

Well, as for the letter, it wasn't in Cheshire. Mr Burrell said he now believed it was at his home in Florida and would have to be posted to the inquest.

And as for the secret - an under pressure Mr Burrell revealed it was that Diana had been planning a move abroad to either the US or South Africa.

It was not quite the revelation expected - it was information the jury had already heard.

It was tough going in the witness box and it was about to get worse for Mr Burrell again during questioning from Michael Mansfield QC, representing Mr Al Fayed, Dodi's father.

It may be'ghastly and upsetting' for Mr Burrell, but lawyers are still trying to establish exactly what he knew

"You are all over the place" he said to Mr Burrell.

The reply gave a clear picture of how this particular witness was finding his time in the court spotlight.

"Quite frankly, it's been horrid. It's been quite disgraceful actually. I never thought I would have to be here and be compelled to say what I had to."

Mr Burrell says his main aim is preserving the memory of the princess - something he feels is being compromised by asking him to reveal certain information.

Other witnesses have shared his concerns, but in addressing the conspiracy theories, delving into the personal life of the princess has, at times, been deemed necessary by the court.

Total transparency

The inquest has heard about the past relationships, the marriage breakdown, the issues surrounding pregnancy, the family feuds and the general insecurity of Diana.

It has occasionally been uncomfortable to hear and sometimes to report.

But the coroner has made it clear that if this is to be a transparent process, then nothing should be off limits.

It may be "ghastly and upsetting" for Mr Burrell, but lawyers are still trying to establish exactly what he knew.

He should have been returning to Florida on Wednesday.

But the inquest is not finished with him quite yet. His day in court has now become a three-day event.