Exclusive: Grant Harrold, who worked for the King and Queen Camilla, as well as Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry up until 2011, tells The Independent what Harry and Meghan’s shock return means for the royal family
Prince Harry’s shock return to the UK has always been on the cards, a former royal butler has claimed, pointing to the Duke’s close bond to his father, King Charles, during his childhood.
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Grant Harrold said Harry was a “daddy’s boy” in his youth and it was only a matter of time before he returned to rebuild his relationship with his father after the rift caused when he and Meghan dramatically quit royal life six years ago.
But he cautioned that the Duchess of Sussex would likely struggle with her return to the UK, and suggested her husband could have given her “an ultimatum” on coming back to Britain.
And he warned that Prince William would likely be “furious” with his brother’s return after their public fallout, following Harry’s barrage of accusations against him, Kate, the King and Queen Camilla in his memoir, Spare.
Mr Harrold, who worked closely with William and Harry until 2011, said: “Harry was always going to return to the UK to be near his father. When you have a loved one going through different things to do with health and all sorts of other things, it makes you wonder if he [Harry] just wants to be closer.
“Everyone goes on about the close bond between the King and William but Harry was always a daddy’s boy. He was very much a daddy’s boy when I was there. He had an extraordinary relationship with his dad.
The former royal butler believes the King will be pleased to have his son back in the UK, giving him more opportunities to spend time with his grandchildren, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, although he suggests Charles will also remain wary.
“There’s again rumours of TV shows and all sorts going on. Does that mean Harry will speak to his father and then they [Harry and Meghan] will sit down and have a conversation about it? That is the reality and what they will be thinking,” says Mr Harrold.
But the news of Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK is unlikely to have gone down well with the Prince of Wales, Mr Harrold said, who pointed to the Duke’s previous press interviews and claims in Spare that his brother physically attacked him during a row.
“William will be furious,” he said. “Harry has said some extraordinary things about the family.
“William is somebody that when you break trust and you go beyond a certain point, there’s no going back. Before, William would have said ‘he’s 5,000/6,000 miles away and it’s not my problem, he’s in another country’. But now he’s suddenly back on the doorstep. I just don’t think he’s going to be happy about the situation at all.”
News broke on Wednesday that Prince Harry and Meghan were returning to the UK within weeks after six years across the pond to make their home in a non-royal residence outside London. It is understood the couple have already enrolled their children in British schools.
According to reports on Friday, the Duchess of Sussex could also make a return to acting.
But Mr Harrold, speaking on behalf of OLGB, believes Meghan will struggle to resettle in the UK after finding her time here as a working royal tough with intense media scrutiny.
He said: “I think she will hate it, because from what we understand and the way it’s come across she didn’t like it here,” Mr Harrold says. “I am not saying she doesn’t like visiting here, but this is another story. She’s close to her mother back home, so I think it is going to be a really difficult move for Meghan.
“I’m wondering if Harry gave her an ultimatum after reading reports of that he wants to be closer to his father given what is going on in his life. Maybe Harry woke up one morning and thought ‘I need to be with my dad in this part of his life’. He could have turned around to Meghan and gave her the ultimatum and said ‘come with me or stay’. I don’t think Harry was going to stay in the US, it could be as simple as that.”
Despite the reported fallout between William and Harry, Mr Harrold believes there is still hope of a reconciliation, saying “time is a healer” and relationships can be repaired.
He believes the Princess of Wales can play a key role as a peacemaker, helping to heal relations between the family.
“I think Catherine will be concerned by the situation, but she’s a very diplomatic lady and what she will be trying to do is be the peacemaker and trying to look at the positives of the situation, and I am guessing she will also be trying to reassure William,” he said.
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