Princess Diana's 'rock' Paul Burrell to wed partner after divorcing wife

Paul Burrell, former butler to Princess Diana, is to marry his boyfriend after divorcing his wife of 33 years, it has been reported.

Burrell is set to wed lawyer Graham Cooper next month, nine months after finalising his divorce from wife Maria Cosgrove.

A spokesman for Burrell, who now plies his trade as a florist in Cheshire, told The Sun: "I can confirm their forthcoming marriage."

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The paper reports that Burrell and Cooper held a joint stag party last month at a Blackpool drag club, and plan to marry in a "circus-themed" wedding in the Lake District in April.

Burrell and his wife announced their "mutual" agreement to divorce last year, although "reports suggested they had been living apart for a number of years", says the Daily Telegraph.

The pair met at Buckingham Palace, where Burrell was a footman and Cosgrove a maid to Prince Philip. They were married in 1983 and have two adult children, Alexander and Nicholas.

However, after the death of Diana catapulted Burrell into the media spotlight, the marriage was dogged by tabloid rumours about Burrell's sexuality.

The engagement announcement marks the first time that Burrell has publicly addressed the speculation, which, according to a Sun source, had previously been a "closely guarded secret".

The source adds that the Princess of Wales was the only woman whom Burrell trusted with the secret of his sexuality.

"For a time, literally nobody knew," the source said. "He did share it with Diana while he worked with her because they were so close. But at the time she was the only woman he felt he could tell."

In his 2003 memoir A Royal Duty, Burrell portrayed himself as a close confidant of the princess, claiming that Diana referred to him as her "rock".