Speaking after former butler Paul Burrell cleared his desk on Tuesday, fundraising manager Jacqueline Allen, who also worked for the princess, said that their position at the charity had been "awful" and that the pair had received "no support".

Mr Burrell, 40, had been made redundant from the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund on Friday and decided not to take up a different post as a "roving ambassador" offered by Chief Executive Andrew Purkis.

'Very sad'

It was decided that Mr Burrell's position as a fundraiser - he was widely seen as the charity's public face - was unnecessary because the memorial fund is no longer actively raising money.

The butler, who Diana described as "my rock", spent more than three hours at the fund's offices saying goodbye to colleagues and he appeared to be tearful as he left.

Ms Allen said she was "very sad" to see him go and suggested that she may soon leave her own job at the charity.

"I think the general public know how much Paul has given to the fund," she said.

'I'll do my best'

"Ever since the Princess died Paul and I have been put in the most awful position and it just seems to continue.

"We have never had any support and I think someone should just actually look at what - especially Paul - but both of us have actually been through."

Newspaper reports earlier this month suggesting that Mr Burrell had been sacked were denied by the charity, which said there was "no question" of his dismissal.

The News of the World claimed that the former butler had been sacked during a lunch meeting with fund solicitor Anthony Julius and Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

Mr Burrell was asked to clear his desk after Christmas, with the departure marking a change of direction for the fund towards making corporate deals, the newspaper said.

The fund has so far raised more than �80m, and licenses the use of the Princess's signature for money-raising products.