TV viewers got a glimpse inside former royal butler Paul Burrell’s Cheshire mansion when he appeared on ITV1’s Through the Keyhole.
Mr Burrell, who owns a florist's shop in Farndon, appeared as a guest on the programme presented by Keith Lemon.
Panellists Rochelle Humes, Fay Ripley and Steve Jones were shown footage of Mr Burrell’s amazing Cheshire home but kept in the dark as to his identity although there were lots of clues to help them including references to his ‘green fingers’.
Mr Burrell, whose face was hidden to them, looked offended when Steve Jones described his home as looking as though it belonged to a ‘little old woman’, who was ‘a bit on the rotund size’ and with ‘junk everywhere’.
But it didn’t take long for the panellists to work it out.
Steve Jones asked: “Is it Lady Diana’s faithful man servant Paul Burrell?”
Mr Burrell told the audience: “I was a lucky guy who got to look after two of the most incredible, unique, inspirational women of our rimes – The Queen and Princess Diana and I’m proud of that.”
Judging by his house, Cold Feet star Fay Ripley remarked that she didn’t think butlers earned that much money.
Mr Burrell responded that they didn’t but explained that his book about his life with Diana had sold 2m copies, adding: “If you get a quid for every book you sell.”
And the former royal butler astounded viewers by claiming the Queen eats bananas with a knife and fork.
The 58-year-old, who separated from his wife Maria last year, revealed how HRH Elizabeth II uses cutlery to slice of each end of the fruit before peeling and eating it.
“To eat a banana properly in society or at a dinner party…this is how the Queen does it,” said Burrell, who hit the headlines in 2003 when he published a tell-all book about life in the royal household.
“You split open the belly – some people eat it like a monkey, of course – then you cut it up into small bite size pieces and then you eat it, with your knife and fork.”
At which point the panel struggled to hide their disbelief.
“That’s absurd! I don’t believe it!” said 39-year-old TV presenter Steve Jones.
Mr Burrell then enjoyed a fun waltz with Keith Lemon as he serenaded him with Tale As Old As Time from Beauty and the Beast. Finally, he had to reach his hand inside a specially constructed cob-web ridden hole to retrieve his Through the Keyhole keyring in a scene reminiscent of when he was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
