Prince William and Prince Harry 'loved' pranking their dad King Charles: ex-butler
King Charles was a “very gentle character,” Prince William was “warm,” and Prince Harry was the prankster
A former royal insider is setting the record straight on King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry's off-duty personalities.
Grant Harrold, who served as a butler to then-Prince Charles from 2004 to 2011, says the King was a “very gentle character,” Prince William was “warm,” and a teenage Prince Harry was the family prankster.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Harrold recalls a tight, affectionate unit that included Queen Camilla (then Duchess of Cornwall), a picture that sharply contrasts Harry’s account in his 2023 memoir Spare.
“The four of them, I promise you, got on so well,” Harrold says, adding he regularly saw them sharing family dinners, drinks and parties.
“The King used to do things to make them laugh and giggle.”
As for the brothers, Harrold paints an image of playful camaraderie: “The banter was great… they used to go around being silly with each other and winding each other up, jumping out at their dad from corners and making him laugh. It was just like a family.”
Harrold hasn’t worked for the royals in over a decade, but his memories offer a rare counter-narrative to the ongoing rift between William and Harry.
His takeaway was that whatever the current tensions, there was once an easy warmth and real laughter behind palace walls.
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