Scot Grant Harold was one of King Charles’ trusted workers for seven years, and he’s lifted the lid on why we may never see a reconcilliation between Harry, William and KateCharlotte Foster Royal Reporter and Tasha Hall Showbiz and Trends Reporter
13:36, 22 Aug 2025
A former butler of the family has shared some inside info on their estrangement.(Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Kate Middleton was only aged 22 when royal butler Grant Harold recognised she was a “queen in waiting.” Having served as one of King Charles‘ trusted butlers for seven years, the Scot has a rare insight.
Grant provides a look into the layers of the true happenings beyond palace walls. In his latest publication The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, he recalled meeting the Princess of Wales for the first time, when she first dated Prince William.
He revealed to the Mirror: “That girl was a Queen in waiting in every aspect. She is the perfect Queen material and you can so obviously see that. Everything about her – the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, the way she interacted with people, her kindness, her beauty – she was, if I can say, the modern day Princess Diana.”
Grant, whose royal tenure spanned from 2004 to 2011, primarily served King Charles as butler, though occasionally he was also assigned to assist the late Queen Elizabeth.
Born in Scotland, he had always harboured aspirations to work for the Royal Family, fuelled by a childhood dream where he found himself dancing with Queen Elizabeth and spending time at Highgrove, the breathtaking Gloucestershire residence King Charles shared with William and Harry.
The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service will be available on August 28.(Image: PR HANDOUT)
He noted a stark difference in how he was received by Kate and William, who “took a while” to warm up to him, compared to Prince Harry’s more playful welcome involving a water balloon fight.
Reflecting on the strong bond between the two brothers back in the day, he remarked: “William and Harry were so close, as brothers go. With many siblings, you can be close as children and then maybe drift a bit as you grow up in your late teens and early 20s, but William and Harry were the opposite.”
He added: “I don’t know if it’s because of their mother’s death, but they were inseparable. They were hanging out together, going to pubs together, just having fun together.”
Grant expressed his disbelief at the thought of any feud between them, noting: “If I had been told all those years ago that they were going to fall out, I would’ve bet £100 that it would never happen. Even when the rumours (of a rift) first started, I was saying publicly to the press that they would never fall out, that’s how sure I was.”
He continued: “And when all the conflict really started, I was asking myself ‘Why has this all gone so badly wrong?’ I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Now they’re not even speaking to each other, and they used to speak all the time. It’s really sad.”
Grant also suggests that any potential reconciliation between the princes might occur away from the public spotlight. He stated: “I think families fall out and families can heal, but it’s never the same. So yes I can see a reconciliation, I can see Harry coming back, but not in the Firm as it used to be.
“I don’t envision Harry and Meghan on the Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour, for instance, but I can imagine the family mending fences behind closed doors and working towards the King seeing his grandchildren [Archie and Lilibet]. I believe that’s what they’re striving for. They could be thinking ‘Let’s just be a family behind closed doors and move past this rift from our perspective, not from the public’s perspective’.”
Despite his hopes for a reunion between the Sussexes and the wider Windsor clan, Grant explained “things are such a mess right now”, and acknowledged: “I think we have to accept that there is a real possibility that we may never see them as a united family in public.”
However, he described King Charles as an extraordinarily compassionate individual and speculates that he might be the catalyst for any future reconciliation, stating: “The thing that surprised me was how genuine and nice he was.”
He reflected about serving dinner, saying: “I would hear ‘Oh and how are you today?’ and I’d ignored him (King Charles) because I thought he was talking to the guests.
“Then he’d say my name and ask me again, and then he’d start saying ‘How’s your mum? How’s your papa? How’s your brother? How’s your home?'”.
“If I was having something done, he’d always know and remember what was going on. He’d say ‘Did that thing get done in your house?’ His kindness and compassion would catch me off guard every single time.”
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