The former butler of the British Royal Household Paul Burrell has received on Tuesday a public apology and financial compensation for substantial damages from the business group that publishes the newspaper ‘Daily Mirror’ in the context of the leak of his personal data following his friendly relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales.
Burrell, a friend and confidant of Diana, initiated a legal dispute against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) after his personal information was fraudulently disclosed, which negatively affected his reputation and deteriorated his relationship with the Princess of Wales.
MGN, which publishes ‘Daily Mirror’, ‘Sunday Mirror’ and ‘The People’, has agreed to pay substantial damages to Burrell, as well as the legal costs of the trial held in the High Court in London, and to accept responsibility for these «illegal» acts.
The lawyer representing the former royal butler, Francis Leonard, has pointed out during the trial that his client was «attacked» for being a «close friend and confidant of Diana», as well as subsequently for «his role in the public sphere after her departure from the Royal Household».
«During Diana’s lifetime, the defendant’s activities caused his relationship with her to deteriorate, as he mistakenly thought that her personal information, which was highly sensitive, would be leaked to the press,» he has claimed.
His legal defense has explained that MGN collected messages from Burrell’s personal mail and even instructed private investigators at least three times between 2001 and 2002, which led to the publication of numerous articles with «illegally» obtained personal information in the press that «seriously» affected his reputation.
«In connection with his criminal trial, the intense negative daily press coverage led to a disintegration of the plaintiff’s relationship with his wife and children, causing great psychological damage,» his lawyer has ruled.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
