King Charles’s former butler said Prince Harry has said things he claims to “know don’t add up”, urging the Duke to “walk away from this”. Grant Harrold, 44, who was the King’s butler from 2004 to 2011, remarked on how surprised he was to hear of Harry’s “difficult” relationship with his father, and thought they were “close” and “loving”.
Mr Harrold told Spin Genie: “We aren’t getting to hear the other side and I don’t think we will get to hear the other side. He has said things that I think are true, he’s also said things that I know don’t add up. I wouldn’t say it’s a lie, it just doesn’t add up.
“I think this is why I really agree with everyone saying it’s better to stop all this and walk away from this to see if they can salvage a relationship between father and son.”
Buckingham and Kensington Palace have not responded to the claims made in Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, which was released in the UK yesterday.
Mr Harrold added that he “never witnessed” anything to suggest Harry had a difficult relationship with his father.
He said: “If anything I thought how close they were and how loving they were to each other and how well he got on with his brother, he got on well with William.”
However, the butler said that Harry was correct to suggest that the Firm “ran their lives.”
Mr Harrold commented: “With the greatest of respect, it does. When you’ve worked for the royal household you see that. The household manages the diaries, the schedules, what they are doing day to day from the office down to the butlers.”
In his memoir Harry makes reference to the control exerted over royal family members, including referring to the Queen as his “commander”. He also suggested that Prince William was “frustrated” at being unable to choose his own outfit for his wedding to Kate, the Princess of Wales.
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However, Mr Harrold argued that even if there was something that Harry “feels is wrong or is not working right”, he didn’t “think this is the way to do it.”
He added: “Rather than go and do a million pound Netflix deal or sell your story and do all the interviews, why not write an open letter to his father?”
When asked why he has approached the issue so publicly in an interview with CBS, the Prince responded: “Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.”
In the statement shared on their joint Instagram account to announce their departure from frontline members of the royal family, the Sussexes wrote: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.
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“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
Mr Harrold sympathised with this motivation, commenting “I think he’s just being a protective husband and father, I think that’s what he’s doing. I really don’t think this is an attack on his father or brother, I believe him when he says that.
It’s the wrong way to do it but I don’t think it’s an attack. I think it’s more that he’s gone for the organisation because he’s frustrated, he’s angry, he’s upset. The organisation’s job is to protect the King and the royal family so he’s in a real catch 22.”
He added: “I think with what’s all happened, he’s going to be painted with the same brush that his great uncle King Edward VIII was painted with where people didn’t really want him to have anything to do with the royal family after what happened in his past as well.”
