Burrell could face perjury probe

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The servant-turned-reality-television-star was secretly recorded in a New York hotel last month admitting he did not tell the "whole truth" when he faced the London inquest.

Mr Burrell, 49, was grilled for three days by barristers at the High Court hearing in January.

During his appearance he initially refused to reveal a mysterious "secret" Diana referred to in a letter she left for him shortly before her death in 1997. But pressed by the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, he claimed it had been about a move abroad - something the coroner said was not a secret at all.

Mr Burrell, who lives primarily in Florida, was also sent on a near 400-mile round trip to his UK home in Farndon, Cheshire, to retrieve a letter which referred to the "secret", only to return saying it was not there.

But in a conversation in a New York hotel, he later admitted: "I did not tell the whole truth." He added: "I was very naughty, and I laid a couple of red herrings."

Speaking openly about the possibility of perjury - which he denied - Mr Burrell admitted he had damaged his integrity. He also claimed Diana was with him "spiritually" and said he felt her presence when he gave his controversial evidence, but that he had been keeping a "bigger secret" for her. In a frank exchange he also claimed that Mohamed al Fayed was "dying".

The conversation was recorded on video and details were revealed in The Sun Newspaper last month, sparking a call from Lord Justice Scott Baker for Mr Burrell to return to give more evidence. But the court heard that Mr Burrell has refused to do so and, being outside the UK, cannot be forced to.

A spokesman for the coroner said it was not within his remit to investigate perjury and he had no plans to do so but did not categorically rule it out after the inquest ends. And he emphasised that it was open to anyone to bring a complaint to police against Mr Burrell.

Mr Burrell has since provided a statement to the court in which he denied lying in court. He claimed to have been drinking heavily and had been simply "showing off".