Exactly how much trust Diana placed in her family is at the heart of Burrell's trial, which began Oct. 14 in London. The 44-year-old butler has pleaded not guilty to charges he stole about 280 items, including jewelry, dresses, personal photos and letters, from Diana's estate. The defense largely rests on the claim that Diana entrusted many of her most treasured belongings not to her relatives but to Burrell—who, it was revealed in court last week, stored the dress in which Diana died in his refrigerator before burning it in his backyard with her family's permission. Asked by prosecutor William Boyce where Diana's photo albums should be kept, Shand Kydd—whose own home on the Scottish Isle of Seil was burglarized while she was attending the trial—replied, "In her family house under lock and key.... I can promise you she gave away nothing other than gifts."
Di's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 47, proved an even steelier witness. As an executor of Diana's will, she said she thought the late princess's 17 godchildren would prefer "mementos" from Diana's estate to the approximately $375,000 that Diana had specified should go to each child. Burrell's defense lawyer Lord Carlile challenged that assertion, noting that the godchildren "were not all from affluent backgrounds." Countered Lady Sarah: "There are not many paupers there."
The first defense witness is expected to be Burrell himself, who Diana's mother said had "misinterpreted" Di's famous description of him as her "rock." "It is a term which she used for many people," Shand Kydd said on the stand. "She called me her rock."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
