Former Royal Butler Describes Forming an ‘Off Duty’ Connection With Prince William
A former royal butler described his relationship with “absolute gentleman” Prince William, revealing the two had a connection during his time with the family.
Grant Harrold, known as “The Royal Butler,” spent seven years working for King Charles III. During that time, he sometimes looked after William, not to mention Prince Harry and Kate Middleton. He also had some of the same friends and frequented the same pubs as the young royals, which allowed him to bond with them off the clock.
Grant Harrold dished on landing his dream job as a royal butler and dancing with Queen Elizabeth II
In an interview with Slingo, Harrold talked about landing his dream job as a butler in Charles’ household. It required six months of discussions. “I got to meet Prince Charles at the end of it, and they offered me a job,” he said. “I stayed with Charles for seven years.”
Harrold shared, “There were lots of things over the years that I was lucky to be a part of.”
He reveled he danced with Queen Elizabeth II at “one of those balls [he’d] watched on television 12 years before.”
“Thinking about it,” he noted, “12 years isn’t that long of a time to actually make those dreams a reality.”
Grant Harrold revealed he formed an ‘off duty’ connection with Prince William
Harrold said he bonded with William, Harry, and Kate outside of work, which he called “fun.”
“… Not only did I get to know them on duty, but I got to know them off duty, too,” he told Slingo. However, his relationship with them made William and Kate’s split “horrifying” to him, brief though it was.
“When my phone used to go off, and it was William, all my friends would be like, that’s so cool. But to me it was normal,” he said. “That was the relationship I had with them.”
“I think it was really special and not unusual, actually, because, in a private home, you’re expected to get on with the family,” Harrold noted.
When he worked for them, Kate was still a girlfriend and not yet a member of the royal family. “[She] would be with me and the other staff, and she was so polite, friendly, and fun and making jokes,” he recalled. “I remember there were days I had off where I’d be running an errand or I’d left something up at Highgrove [House] and they were around, so you’d just catch up with them.”
In an interview with Onlinecasino.ca, Harrold called William an “absolute gentleman” and said he felt a “close connection” when they shook hands for the first time. “I remember thinking, ‘this is extraordinary,’” he shared.
‘The Royal Butler’ reveals what it takes to be an excellent royal butler
Harrold told Slingo that “the easiest way to explain” the life of a royal butler is, “It’s like what you see in Downton Abbey.”
“Butlers are there to look after the family — albeit quite a famous family — look after guests, serve meals and drinks …,” he explained.
According to Harrold, people don’t realize that butlers are also like personal assistants and are “expected to make things run” for the royals. “They want someone who is going to make things happen.”
