Former Royal Family Butler Reveals How Close Prince Harry and Prince William Really Were Before Rift
Prior to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s decision to step down as senior royals in 2020, there was plenty of chatter about a rift between the Duke of Sussex and his brother Prince William. After Harry publically admitted to that, many began questioning if the princes were ever as close as we once thought. The only way to get the answer is by hearing from someone who actually worked in the royal household and knew William and Harry.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet got former royal butler Grant Harrold’s take on how close the siblings really were when he worked for King Charles III and Prince William.
How Prince Harry described his relationship with Prince William in TV interviews
In the 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, the Duke of Sussex addressed the reports that he and the future king were feuding. He told journalist Tom Bradby that he and William have “good days and bad days” but he “loves his brother” even though they’re on “different paths.”
Then in 2020, during the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry described their relationship as “space.” He then said that he believed his brother was, like their father, “trapped” by the institution. That comment reportedly really upset the now-Prince of Wales.
What King Charles’ former butler said about how close the brothers were
From 2004 to 2011, Harrold was the butler for then-Prince Charles. He also worked for William and the new Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) when they stayed at the king’s Highgrove House. Harrold was asked if Harry and William were particularly close during his time working for the royals.
Speaking on behalf of OnlineCasino.ca, Harrold said: “Oh yeah, totally, 100%. That’s why when it all came out a couple of years ago when the Palace put a statement out … I was speaking to journalists saying ‘this isn’t true, this is nonsense it will all be a fabrication.’ But it was only when the statements came out I remember sitting there thinking ‘what the hell is going on?’ because these were two guys that were close they were best pals so I find it sad that two guys who were literally best friends suddenly went through this fallout.”
Harrold continued: “With families, I don’t know how you come back from something like that happening. It’s possible but with fallouts it can be really difficult to patch it. I thought it was good that King Charles gave that statement after his mother’s death when he offered the olive branch to Meghan and Harry by talking about them. So in his eyes, they are very much part of his family, I believe that. They may not be working members of the royal family but I have no doubt he sees them as part of the family, that’s a fact.”
What the future of the monarchy may look like
Harrold also gave his thoughts on what the future of the royal family may look like now following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
“The modern royal family, I think, is going to be a smaller royal family without question,” he opined. “We’ve seen that. We saw that on the balcony, the king, the queen, Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three kids. That is the royal family going forward. I’ve said recently, I think the older royals will retire. I think we will see them doing less because they are all getting older. Of course Princess Anne will continue to support her brother, no question on that at all. But going forward it’s going to be a smaller family.”
