A former royal butler has shared his insight on Harry’s “diplomatic” VJ Day letter, and how it could spell the beginning of a long-awaited reunion within the royal family
A former royal butler has shared his insight on the “diplomatic” letter Prince Harry left at a war memorial on VJ Day, and how his actions could lead to a reconciliation with King Charles.
On the 80th anniversary of VJ Day last week, the King and Queen led the nation in commemorating the day during a moving ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Just hours later, a letter and wreath from Prince Harry, who served in the Army for 10 years, was placed at the Burma Star Memorial at the same location.
The letter, which included Harry’s royal emblem, pays tribute to all that fought in the war, including his late grandfather, Prince Philip, who served in the Far East.
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It has since been reported that the Duke of Sussex insisted the tribute was laid by a friend, with strict instructions only to place it at the memorial once his father and stepmother had left the event, so as not to overshadow them.
Now, King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold has shared his thoughts on the letter, saying he believes Harry’s acknowledgement of the day was “nicely done”.
Harrold exclusively told The Mirror: “I think the King would’ve appreciated that he was not trying to hijack the occasion, because that’s what would’ve happened. It also shows a bit of diplomacy as well, so maybe this is a sign of Harry trying not to step on his father’s feet and trying to show that he wants to show his respect, especially to Prince Philip.
“Because he adored his grandfather, and there are bits of Harry that are just like Philip. It’s a very clever tactic and I like to think it’s part of this behind the scenes truce to move forward.”
Harrold, who worked for the royal family at Highgrove between 2004 and 2011, believes that the subtle move from Harry would be the start of a long-awaited reconciliation between the royal family.
He also shared that Harry would be motivated initiate a reunion after years of in-fighting due to Charles’ recent health issues.
He said: “I think Harry does want to reunite with his father because at the end of the day, Harry is aware that his father has not been a very well man, because they were very close and that doesn’t always change. In light of Charles being sick, I have no doubt Harry is in some kind of communication with his father, and Charles is a very compassionate man.
“So even if William as the big brother is angry at what Harry is done and maybe has more reservations about meeting up with Harry, I think the King, at this point in his life, will be thinking ‘Let’s look at the bigger picture, life’s too short, and family is all you’ve got’.”
Harry himself has acknowledged Charles’ current health status as a driver behind reuniting with his family, as he told the BBC in May that the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff”, but that he did not want to fight any more and did “not know how much longer my father has”.
The Duke of Sussex acknowledged that “some members of my family will never forgive me” for writing his memoir. But he added: “It would be nice to have that reconciliation part now. If they don’t want that, that’s entirely up to them.”
Grant Harrold’s book The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service is available from August 28th.
