Former butler reveals the monarch’s personal touch behind palace walls
King Charles III is known for maintaining high standards within his household, but according to his former butler, it was the King’s compassion — not his discipline — that most surprised staff.
Grant Harrold, who worked at Charles’s country residence Highgrove from 2004 to 2011, told The Mirror that the monarch frequently caught him off guard with his genuine interest in staff members’ lives.
Harrold recalled that during formal dinners, Charles would often break tradition to ask about his well-being. “I would hear, ‘Oh and how are you today?’ and I’d ignore him because I thought he was talking to the guests,” Harrold explained. “Then he’d say my name and ask me again, and then he’d start saying, ‘How’s your mum? How’s your papa? How’s your brother? How’s your home?’”
What stood out most, Harrold said, was the King’s remarkable memory for details. “If I was having something done, he’d always know and remember what was going on. He’d say, ‘Did that thing get done in your house?’ His kindness and compassion would catch me off guard every single time.”
The former butler’s reflections paint a rare picture of a monarch whose attention to personal detail left a lasting impression on those who served him.
