Mohamed Al Fayed will lead a two-minute silence at Harrods on Friday to mark a decade since the deaths of his son, Dodi, and Diana, Princess of Wales.

The millionaire shop owner, who is still fighting to prove that the lovers were murdered, will stand before a bronze statue that depicts the couple in tender pose with arms outstretched.

The emotional tribute by Mr Al Fayed, his wife and Dodi’s brothers and sisters will precede the official thanksgiving service by an hour.

Meanwhile, as tensions rose yesterday in the countdown to the anniversary, Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell issued a statement denying that he had been bothering courtiers with protests about being blacklisted.

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Mr Al Fayed will begin Friday, as on previous anniversaries, by paying his respects to Dodi at the mausoleum on the family estate in Oxted, Surrey. Then at 11am he will stand with his family at door three of the Knightsbridge premises and invite customers to join him in a hushed tribute.

“Given that it’s a ten-year anniversary and there is a lot of focus on it, it’s best that we allow people to see him in a dignified and restrained and suitable manner,” Katharine Witty, the Harrods chairman’s director of press and public affairs, said. “Usually it’s very low key because it’s a private day really for Mohamed and his family. This is just for the family. The whole store will be asked to observe it.”

Camilla Fayed, Dodi’s sister, has been invited by Prince William and Prince Harry to the formal service.

A visit to the gates of Kensington Palace, followed by a trip to Harrods, has become part of the annual pilgrimage for Diana’s loyal admirers every August 31. The shop always lowers its two Union Jacks to half-mast and puts a display in the window. Visitors are invited to write in condolence books.

The guest list for the royal memorial service continues to cause controversy even after the Duchess of Cornwall bowed to pressure and announced that she would not be attending the official ceremony at the Guards’ Chapel, at Wellington Barracks in Birdcage Walk. There is, however, no chance of her seat being taken by Mr Burrell, who has issued a statement saying that he will be in America on the day.

Mr Burrell denied reports that he had confronted royal aides and demanded to be told why he was refused an invitation. The former butler, accused by Diana’s sons of a “cold and overt betrayal” for writing his memoirs, insists that he will be thinking of her in a private family tribute. “I have respect for the decision taken by Princes William and Harry,” he said. “I cannot be upset over an invitation I was not expecting to receive.” He insisted that he would never have contemplated ringing Clarence House.

However despite Mr Burrell’s apparent sympathies for the princes, a new anniversary edition of his book Remembering Diana: The Way We Were, has just been published by HarperCollins Entertainment. Clarence House sources confirmed that Victoria Mendham, the Princess’s former personal secretary, has now been invited to the service. She had been missed off the original guest list due to “an oversight”.

What the butler sold . . .

The wines Paul Burrell’s “Royal Butler” shiraz, chardonnay and rosé wines will be served at a charity wine-tasting in Florida next week. He will also explain how to make proper English tea

The tea set In an autographed gift box for $31.95 (£16), Paul Burrell’s Tea for One piece of novelty china appears to be a teapot and cup combined. He was always on hand to serve the Princess tea for one after her divorce

The furniture Royal Manner: the English Country House is a range of furniture due to be introduced on Saturday and said to be inspired by Mr Burrell’s career in service. A highlight is the Kensington Bed, with metalwork recalling the wrought-iron gates of the Princess’s former palace. The bed “brings memories and thoughts of a lifestyle that I experienced over the years”, he says. The collection is festooned with English roses

The rugs “Paul Burrell-inspired” carpets are described as simple and evoking the relaxed elegance of English country homes

The book Remembering Diana: The Way We Were “remembers and celebrates the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and captures her vivacity and love of life as we move towards the 10th anniversary of her death in 2007” – a reprint of his earlier book

The DVD Diana’s Rock: Paul Burrell, to be released in the autumn, is said to lay bare his feelings “as he prepares to go to court accused of stealing his beloved employer’s possessions after her death”

The reality TV show After being runner-up in I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!, Mr Burrell turns the tables by hosting a knockout contest for US television viewers

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