King Charles’ former butler questions Prince Harry’s Spare account

Grant Harrold, King Charles III’s former butler, says Prince Harry’s account of royal life in Spare does not align with his own experiences, describing his memories as largely different from the duke’s portrayal. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Harrold, who served in the royal household from 2004 to 2011, said he was surprised by Harry’s depiction of unhappiness and tension within the family and suggested that public glimpses of the royals did not match the narrative in the memoir.

Harrold has since published his memoir, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service, in which he recounts his time working for Charles and Camilla and offers his perspective on the dynamics within the king’s household. He told Fox News Digital that there were moments in which the family appeared close and functional, including social occasions that he witnessed firsthand. "You think we [were] in two different households because I talked about this happy family … with his stepmother and everything. He’s saying he didn’t. I never witnessed that," Harrold said.

In his recollections, Harrold recalled the ceremony and the years surrounding it as typical of a busy royal household, with dinners, travel, and family events that he described as normal and loving. He emphasized that he observed a father who was actively involved in his sons’ lives, especially after the death of Princess Diana, and he noted that Charles tried to balance public duties with time at Balmoral and other family moments. Harrold described Charles as a hands-on parent who made an effort to fill the space left by Diana’s passing, a characterization he said contrasted with Harry’s portrayal of a more distant father.

A spokesperson for Archewell, the office that represents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, did not respond to Fox News Digital regarding Harrold’s comments about Spare. The duke and duchess have faced ongoing scrutiny since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, with Harry’s memoir and television interviews continuing to shape public perception of the royal family. Yet Harrold maintained that his memories of the era diverged from Harry’s, and he urged readers to consider press coverage and footage from back then when forming their own conclusions. "My memories are definitely very different from his. It’s almost as if it were a different household, but it wasn’t. That was his household, it was his home. And it’s where I spent a lot of time as well," he said.

Harrold’s account also touched on broader themes that have circulated in royal commentary for years, including the question of how much mental health strain may have existed behind public smiles. He acknowledged that mental health can be invisible and that someone could appear outwardly happy while privately struggling. Still, he emphasized that he had no evidence of Harry’s unhappiness during his own tenure, arguing that such a determination would be difficult without direct observation and confidential information.

In Spare, Harry describes a turbulent dynamic between him and his older brother William, as well as tensions surrounding the royals’ public image, including allegations of private conversations being leaked to the press to improve Camilla’s reputation. He also recounts how Charles reportedly delivered the news of his mother’s fatal accident and the emotional strain that followed. Harrold, who witnessed many large gatherings and family moments, acknowledged that the royal household’s internal dynamics could appear very different from the tabloid narratives that frequently swirl around it. He cited at least one scene that stood out to him as evidence of a loving family environment, including a dinner for William, Harry, and the king the night before a wedding, which he described as a lovely occasion with no visible issues.

Harrold’s reflections come as Harry has spoken publicly about what he sees as a gap between the family’s public persona and its private reality. The former butler noted that Dickensian or dramatic depictions of royal life are not uncommon in the eyes of the public, but he urged readers to weigh the memoir against contemporaneous press coverage and video footage from the era to form their own judgments. He also recalled the queen’s famous remark about recollections varying, suggesting that personal memory can diverge within a single family’s history. "She talked about that toward the end of her life about the situation. And it’s true. My memories and Harry’s are obviously very different. It’s up to people to read my book and make their own minds about it. But I think … if they read what I’ve put, look at press clippings or any TV footage from back in the day, they can then make their minds up. And I think it’ll be quite obvious that something, as I keep saying, doesn’t add up," Harrold said.

The conversation about Harry’s memoir and the royal family’s dynamics isn’t new. Harry has argued that his conscience is clear after Spare’s publication and that he had been honest about his experiences, including controversial notes about Camilla’s role and the press’s treatment of the royals. The coverage has continued to fuel debates about the palace’s handling of internal disagreements and the impact of intense media scrutiny on family relations. While Harrold’s account offers a counterview to Harry’s narrative, it also underscores the broader question of how best to interpret the private lives of public figures when so much of their world remains shielded from public view.

Harrold concluded by reflecting on his time in royal service and the unexpected nature of fame that accompanies such roles. He said his experience left him with an appreciation for the humanity of the royals and for the normalcy that could emerge in moments of togetherness, even within the context of intense public attention. "I suppose the thing that surprised me was probably … how normal he is," Harrold said of the king. "Like everybody else … you see them, you read stuff, and you hear stuff. And we all make up our minds about what those people are like. And they always say, don’t meet your idols because it’s not what you imagine. But luckily for me, meeting this family that I followed throughout my childhood and teenage years, it was exactly what I hoped they would be." The Royal Butler is available now, offering a firsthand look at a life spent in proximity to Britain’s royal family while inviting readers to weigh competing memories of a high-profile household.

In closing, Harrold suggested that readers consider both sides and the broader context when assessing Spare, noting that the royals’ private lives are complex and often not fully visible to the public. He urged restraint in drawing sweeping conclusions about happiness, loyalty, and love within a family that has endured immense public interest for decades, while continuing to emphasize that his own experiences with Charles and Camilla were, in his view, largely positive and grounded in a genuine affection for the people he served. As the conversation around the British monarchy persists, Harrold’s memoir adds another layer to a long-running dialogue about memory, perception, and the truth behind the headlines.