Grant Harrold

Last updated

Grant Harrold
Grant Harrold The Royal Butler.jpg
Born
Grant William Veitch Harrold

(1978-04-26) 26 April 1978 (age 47)
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
NationalityBritish
Other namesThe Royal Butler
Occupation(s) Butler, etiquette expert
Known forFormer butler to King Charles III, Queen Camilla, William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry

Grant William Veitch Harrold (born 26 April 1978) is a British former butler to King Charles III (when he was Prince of Wales), now a British etiquette expert, and broadcaster.

Contents

Career

He worked as a butler for Charles III from 2004 to 2011, when King Charles was Prince of Wales. Grant has also explained in recent interviews he also looked after William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales during his time at Highgrove. [1] [2] [3] His first employers were Urs Schwarzenbach and Major Christopher Hanbury on the Ben Alder estate, where he began working in private service in 1997. [4]

Based in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Harrold now runs an etiquette and butler school. He also gives talks and demonstrations on afternoon tea etiquette, dinner parties etiquette and similar etiquette events. In 2014, Harrold's company Nicholas Veitch Limited alongside Blenheim Palace founded The Royal School of Butlers.

Since 2023, Harrold has served as a brand ambassador and Insight Speaker aboard Cunard, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn ships, delivering lectures on etiquette and his royal experiences to cruise guests. [5] [6] [7]

Media

Harrold first appeared regularly as the butler on the reality television programme Country House at Woburn Abbey between 2000 and 2003 whilst working for Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford and his son Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford, and then in 2012 was part of the BBC Three series Be Your Own Boss. [8]

He has also reported appearances on television programmes including Can't Get the Staff and The Bachelor. [9] [citation needed]

He regularly appears as a royal commentator on BBC News, Sky News, GB News, and in royal-themed television documentaries. [10]

Social media

Harrold has established a notable online presence under the brand The Royal Butler, and has amassed a following of nearly 1 million across platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, and Twitter. His monthly reach is estimated between 3 and 9 million interactions. [11] [12]

Publication

His first memoir, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service, was published on 28 August 2025 by Orion Publishing. [13]

Controversy

In 2020, Harrold applied to register "The Royal Butler" as trademark for his business; however, the trademark was denied. Harrold had claimed that he had won the right to the trademark as part of a settlement when he left Royal service. [3]

In 2021, he was criticised by Asian communities for suggesting that people should never eat rice with their hands, a practice common in many Asian countries. [14]

References

  1. "'I was a butler for the Royal Family - I danced with the Queen and loved spending time with Prince William and Kate Middleton'". MyLondon. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  2. "An Interview with Grant Harrold, Former Butler to Prince Charles". 24 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 MacDonald, Stuart (4 September 2020). "Queen stops former butler Grant Harrold from exploiting royal title". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  4. "Nicholas Veitch Limited". Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  5. "Royal Commentator Gives Etiquette Lessons on Board Queen Mary 2". Seatrade Cruise News. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  6. "Princess Cruises Celebrity Guest Speakers". World of Cruising. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  7. "Grant Harrold – Seabourn Conversations". Seabourn. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  8. "Grant Harrold". Nicholas Veitch Limited. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  9. "Grant Harrold IMDb Page". IMDb. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  10. "The Royal Butler – Official Site" . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  11. "Royality LTD – Official Site" . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  12. "Influencer Matchmaker – Grant Harrold" . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  13. "The Royal Butler by Grant Harrold – Orion Books" . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  14. "Ex-royal butler's rice-eating comments spark online backlash". South China Morning Post . 10 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.