King Charles III’s former butler, Grant Harrold, is offering a very different view of royal life than the one Prince Harry described in his memoir Spare. Harrold, who worked for Charles and Camilla from 2004 to 2011 and attended their 2005 wedding, said he was surprised when he read Harry’s account of feeling unhappy and unsupported as a royal.
Harrold remembers a close, happy household where Harry appeared comfortable with his stepmother. He recalls seeing Harry smiling and chasing after the wedding car in 2005 and enjoying family dinners the night before. Harrold insists he never witnessed tension or unhappiness.
He acknowledges that mental health struggles can be hidden and says it’s possible Harry kept private feelings to himself. Even then, Harrold states that “his memories and Harry’s are very different,” echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous phrase that “recollections may vary.”
In Spare, Harry detailed painful experiences, including losing his mother, Princess Diana, and begging his father not to marry Camilla. He accused Camilla of trading information with the press to improve her public image, which he described as “dangerous.” Buckingham Palace has never publicly responded to these claims.
Harrold’s new book, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service, describes Charles as a devoted father who balanced royal duties with time for William and Harry taking them to Balmoral for fishing and outdoor activities, while Diana provided her own adventures like water park visits.
Harrold invites readers to compare his account, old press clippings, and TV footage with Harry’s version, believing they will see that something “doesn’t add up” between the two perspectives.
