London ? Princess Diana’s butler had no legitimate reason to have personal photographs that she owned and that police found at his home, the princess’ sister said Friday.

Testifying at the theft trial of Diana’s butler, Paul Burrell, Lady Jane Fellowes said she could “think of no reason why (he) would be in possession of these. I can state at no time was I asked by Paul Burrell could he keep any items in the possession of my sister.”

Burrell, 44, has pleaded innocent to three charges related to the theft of hundreds of items from the princess and other members of the royal family. Burrell is accused of taking more than 300 items between Jan. 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998. The property allegedly belonged to Diana, Prince Charles or their son William. Diana was killed in a car crash Aug. 31, 1997, in Paris.

Fellowes, the third member of Diana’s family to testify, refused to confirm allegations by the defense that in the years before her death, Diana had wanted to keep “some distance” between her household and Buckingham Palace, home of her estranged royal in-laws. At the time, Fellowes’ husband, Robert, was secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana’s mother-in-law.

“It would be fair to say that your sister wanted to keep some distance between her household and Buckingham Palace?” inquired Lord Carlisle, representing Burrell.

“I think that is your interpretation. I am neutral,” Fellowes replied.

She confirmed that early in 1998, she and her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, and sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale who have both testified removed items belonging to Diana from her Kensington Palace home.

She said Burrell had been present at the women’s request and had helped them carry some of the items to their cars.

The prosecution has asserted that during an early-morning visit to Kensington Palace after Diana’s death, Burrell took a number of items, including dresses, without permission from the family. Prosecutors say he also secretly kept other items instead of returning them to McCorquodale.

Testifying Thursday, Shand Kydd, 66, also disputed Burrell’s claims that he was asked to keep some of her daughter’s possessions safe.

Shand Kydd said she had no explanation for how several of the items came to be in Burrell’s possession and said that he had read too much into the description of himself as Diana’s “rock.”

“I think that is a slight misinterpretation by Mr. Burrell when he said she called him ‘my rock.’ It is a term which she used for many people,” Shand Kydd said. “She called me her ‘rock and star.”‘

Shand Kydd said Burrell never told her he was keeping some property and had never asked permission. “I can promise you she gave away nothing other than gifts,” she said.