The Queen’s butler Paul Burrell pays tribute to ‘surrogate mother’

nypost.com:

the late monarch, remembering her as a “surrogate mother.”Paul Burrell stood by Elizabeth’s side for 11 years, working as a butler for her during a portion of her 70 years on the throne.News of Elizabeth’s passing sent shockwaves around the globe on Thursday when the royal family announced her death from Balmoral Castle.

Tributes for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch came pouring in from around the globe, including from Burrell, who described the queen as “warm, wonderful, incredible and selfless.” “I couldn’t believe it,” Burrell said on TalkTV’s “The News Desk.” “I am devastated to know the queen is no longer there.

For me she was my surrogate mother in many ways, she was incredibly warm.”In an interview with Australian radio hosts on Friday, he recalled a story from “years ago” about how they also had a bit of fun together at Buckingham Palace.“She was just such an amazing, she was just such an amazing, such an amazing character,” he said. “I’ve got so many great memories.

I even remember one occasion, running down a corridor with her. I can’t remember what I was doing, but I was I was doing something and she started kind of running.”“I was thinking, ‘Nobody’s gonna believe that I’ve actually been running with the queen,” he added. “It was a very fast run, it was hard to keep up with her.”“She’s been a big part of my life as she has for everyone in our country, but for me – standing by her for 11 years and traveling the world with her — she was always there for me and my wife and my children in our early days,” he told TalkTV’s “The News Desk.”The 64-year-old shared how Elizabeth introduced him to his wife, encouraged him to get married and even went so far as to arrange his honeymoon at her favorite castle.“She.