As horror stories of Meghan Markle's tantrums emerge, Kate Middleton won over staff, says ex royal butler
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who worked for King Charles for seven years, has revealed what it was like being around Prince William and Kate Middleton when they were dating. Before being in the public eye, the couple were 'like any boyfriend and girlfriend,' as per Grant.
Grant worked as a butler for the then Prince of Wales from 2004 to 2011 and got to know other members of the royal family as well.
Describing his bond with the Princess of Wales, Grant said, "What I liked was that Kate, being a girlfriend and obviously not a member of the family, would be with me and the other staff and she was so polite, friendly, and fun and making jokes. 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."
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While speaking to the Mirror, the former royal butler said, "It was always fun and it was always nice that I got on so well with them because they’d then ask me to travel the country with them. 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. That was the relationship I had with them."
Grant said he was lucky to actually be a part of the royal family. He said, "I think it was really special and not unusual, actually, because in a private home you’re expected to get on with the family. As for the younger members of the family, you’re not employed by them, but you end up having a relationship with them as well," adding, "There’s very few people that the Royals actually get to know, so you do feel lucky that you were trusted with that.”
The former butler was there when Camilla and Kate both entered the royal family. Grant said, "I was there when Charles married the Duchess of Cornwall, I was there when the boys went to university, when William first met Kate and they were dating - and then they stopped dating for a little while which was horrifying to me because I adored both of them, luckily they got back together."
He also revealed his daily routine, saying, "The easiest way to explain it 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… but what people don’t realise is that you’re also kind of a personal assistant and expected to make things run [smoothly] for them."
Grant added, "If you can do something for somebody and it doesn’t impact their day for it to happen, then that’s being a good butler. They want someone who is going to make things happen."