Burrell Affair

The Burrell affair was a scandal in 2002 which arose from a number of allegations about the behaviour of the British Royal Family and their servants. The scandal had constitutional implications for the United Kingdom, as the Queen is the head of state of a constitutional monarchy and is theoretically the embodiment of the state in all legal proceedings, and any involvement of a reigning monarch in a law court would be unprecedented. The only trial of a reigning monarch was that of Charles I, which occurred during a state of outright civil war.

The theft trial of Paul Burrell, the butler of Diana, Princess of Wales, collapsed after evidence was given that Queen Elizabeth II had spoken with Burrell regarding the items he was accused of stealing. This seemed to provide support for his assertion that he was keeping Diana's possessions for safe-keeping with the consent of the British Royal Family, rather than stealing them. However, calling upon the Queen to give evidence might have triggered a constitutional crisis. The Crown Prosecution Service then presented a Public Interest Immunity certificate in regard to the Queen's testimony.