While testifying at the trial of former royal butler Paul Burrell at the Old Bailey on Thursday, Princess Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd admitted she had been estranged from her daughter at the time of her tragic death in 1997.
The reasons behind the four-month rift, during which Diana returned her mother's letters unopened, were not disclosed in court. However, Mrs Shand Kydd rejected suggestions by Lord Carlile, QC defending Mr Burrell, that the estrangement stemmed from an argument "about (Diana's) private life and the company she was keeping".
During her nearly two-hours of testimony, Mrs Shand Kydd also addressed claims that her daughter had called Paul Burrell "her rock".
"This was a term she used regularly and said to many people," she declared from the witness box. "She called me her 'rock' and 'star'. These terms were used to many people including him (Burrell), but not only him. It was not unique."
Forty-four-year-old Burrell, has denied the three charges of theft of 310 personal items belonging to the Princess, the Prince of Wales and Prince William, for which he is currently standing trial.
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