Grant Harrold, a former personal butler to King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, offers a series of inside observations about the royal family in his new memoir, including Prince Philip’s off‑the‑cuff reaction after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, persistent distrust of Harry by the king and Prince William’s intent to modernize and reduce the number of working royals.
Harrold, who served in Charles’s household from 2004 to 2011 and also worked for Prince William and Catherine, recounts in The Royal Butler — due Sept. 23 — that Philip’s blunt four‑word comment, “Thank f—k that’s over,” came as the newlyweds and other family members filed out of St. George’s Chapel after the May 2018 ceremony at Windsor Castle. Harrold told Page Six that the remark made the late queen smile and captured a private reaction among some palace staff and observers.
Harrold told Page Six that the king “doesn’t trust Harry, because of what Harry has said,” and warned that the Sussexes’ commercial deals and public projects — including books, podcasts and television work — make a full return to senior royal duties unlikely. He said such activities risk repeated public disclosures that would test any reconciliation, asking rhetorically, “If they reconcile, then fall out again, what’s to say there won’t be another book, Netflix series or interview about it?”
The memoir traces the evolution of the relationship between the princes from close companionship in childhood and early adulthood to the breakdown that became public after Harry met Meghan Markle in July 2016. Harrold describes William and Harry as “inseparable” during his period of service — walking together, socializing in pubs and riding motorcycles — and said he was “genuinely shocked” when the brothers’ relationship deteriorated.
Harrold attributes significant change in Harry’s outlook to Markle’s arrival, saying, “The biggest change in Harry’s life is Meghan.” He recounts incidents that prompted friction within the palace, including an episode in which Markle reportedly sought to host friends for lunch on a day when she was scheduled to carry out a royal engagement. Harrold said the royal diary is planned months in advance and that members joining the family are expected to follow established protocols.
Harrold said Markle behaved like a disruptor after becoming an official working royal for a brief period, adding that she may have had expectations informed by on‑screen portrayals of royalty. “I think the problem with Meghan is that she went into the organization and she assumed that after watching all the Disney princesses that she thought it was going to be like that,” Harrold wrote, according to Page Six. "When you join the royal family, you are given rules and protocols to follow."
Harrold also writes that he expects significant change once William becomes king, predicting that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children will form the core of a smaller, more streamlined monarchy. “The reality is, when [William and Princess Catherine’s children] George, Charlotte and Louis become of age and start getting involved, the monarchy will be the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children only,” Harrold told Page Six. He said William will press a “reset button” to reduce the number of central figures and some long‑standing formalities.
The book revisits recent public ruptures as well: the Sussexes’ 2020 decision to step back from senior royal duties, their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry’s memoir Spare, which contained critical passages about family members. Harrold referenced passages in Spare, including Harry’s description of William as both a “beloved brother and arch‑nemesis” and an alleged 2019 physical altercation, and said such disclosures have hardened distrust within the family.
Harrold also offers anecdotes about palace household life and internal politics, saying some staff could be “more royal than royals.” He singled out chauffeurs and secretaries, whom he dubbed the “men in suits,” as groups that sometimes saw themselves as superior to others and contributed to a culture of jealousy. Harrold named Michael Fawcett, the former valet to Charles, among staffers who “saw themselves as better than others.”
Harrold said William and Catherine prefer a hands‑on domestic life and have not maintained a butler, noting that he offered to serve the couple but was declined because they wanted to do many tasks themselves. “They wanted to do stuff themselves. They were carrying their own stuff, doing their own washing up, their own cooking,” Harrold wrote, adding that William remains “very hands‑on.”
The memoir’s disclosures follow several years of public controversy and strained relations between the Sussexes and other senior royals. Harry and Meghan married with senior family members present; they later relocated to the United States, pursued commercial ventures, and made highly publicized interviews and projects that have become a point of contention with the family. The late queen’s death in 2022 and Charles’s ascension to the throne further shifted the royal landscape and responsibilities.
Harrold’s accounts are drawn from his time as a palace staffer and include personal recollections and anecdotes. Critics may note that former household employees often face restrictions on official confidential information, and members of the royal household and family have not universally confirmed the specifics of Harrold’s narrative.
The Royal Butler will be published Sept. 23. Harrold, who has since worked as a public speaker and adviser on royal etiquette, has previously appeared in media discussing service and protocol within Britain’s royal household.