EXCLUSIVE: From an unexpected phone call to moments of playful teasing, King Charles’ former butler shared his recollections of working at Highgrove House for seven years
King Charles’ butler shared details about the unlikely phone call
King Charles once found himself on the receiving end of a very unusual phone call, according to his former butler. Grant Harrold, who worked for the monarch from 2004 to 2011 during his years as Prince of Wales, has been sharing memories from his time in service at the Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
At this royal residence, he looked after Charles and other members of the royal household including Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Looking back on his seven years, Grant said he was surprised by how “normal” the royals were in private, despite their public image. In particular, he was taken aback by how “approachable” Charles was, describing him as easy to work with and attentive in making staff feel valued.
At the launch of his book The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, Grant also dived into some of the more humorous moments he encountered with the royals.
One of the most memorable came when Charles’s personal phone rang with an unusual request.
Grant Harrold opened up about his memories with the Royal Family
“I remember once somebody got hold of the King’s private phone and they phoned him up thinking he was a Chinese takeaway,” the 47-year-old shared.
“They put in an order, trying to get a Chinese. He just said, ‘I’m not a Chinese takeaway, you’ve got the wrong number.’ But they kept phoning him back. Eventually, he had to get us to speak to them and say, ‘This is the wrong number’.”
Grant doesn’t believe the callers realised who they were speaking to and, after several failed attempts, stopped ringing.
The butler also recalled being offered the chance to join the family for a takeaway by a young Prince Harry.
“I declined, but I sat down with them while they had it, just informally,” he told Slingo. “It was really fun, and I thought, this is obviously how they’ve been brought up.”
Grant Harrold worked as Charles’ butler for seven years (Image: PR HANDOUT)
Not all of Grant’s memories were without embarrassment. In one instance, he said he unintentionally insulted Prince William while discussing ageing.
“I said, ‘From a man’s point of view, the worst is when you start receding, you start going bald.’ Kate started sniggering, and William said, ‘Thanks, Grant!’ before leaning forward to show his hairline.”
Charles and Queen Camilla also once poked fun at him after a spray tan went wrong.
He recalled: “Camilla was staring at me, and the King said, ‘What have you done? What colour did you pick, Oompa Loompa?'”.
Grant said Prince William additionally teased him about his appearance. “William said, ‘What have you done? Has it gone everywhere?'”.
After confirming that it had, the butler recalled: “He said, ‘Can I see it?’ I had to take my shoes and socks off to show him my toes, which were orange. He thought it was brilliant. He got his own back!”.