Prince Harry, William And Kate Have Rewritten a Major Royal Etiquette, Says Former Butler
For centuries, the British monarchy has thrived on tradition, rituals, and protocols so polished that even a handshake or a hug seemed out of place. But according to an insider who worked for the King for years, the next generation of royals is rewriting the script in ways that would have been unthinkable in Queen Elizabeth’s day. And to have taken the lead in this transition are Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton.
Grant Harrold, who served as King Charles’s butler between 2004 and 2011, says he has watched the royal family’s interactions evolve up close. When asked whether William, Harry, and Middleton are 'more modern’ than their predecessors, he didn’t hesitate. “Definitely more modern,” he told GB News while promoting his upcoming book The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service.
The change, he claims, started showing visibly in how they connected with the public. “Put it this way. Queen Elizabeth would never really even do a handshake with somebody. Maybe, maybe, maybe.” Charles, he noted, broke that formality. “The King will shake hands, and I’ve even seen him do a fist bump.” This shift, however, was only the beginning. The younger royals, William, Harry, and Middleton, have taken a step further. “I’ve seen them hug,” Harrold revealed. “So it’s different variations.” As per Harrold, this is the natural evolution of monarchy. “By the time you get to George, it’ll be… Oh, it’ll be gone if it’ll happen,” he joked, suggesting that by the time Prince George comes of age, traditional royal etiquette may look completely different. “So that’s what’s nice — it has changed, and it’s changing.”
William has been upfront about how he wants to see and lead the monarchy, and so has his estranged brother Harry. While speaking to reporters after a trip to South Africa last year, the Prince of Wales laid out his vision in unusually frank terms. “I can only describe what I'm trying to do, and that's I'm trying to do it differently and I'm trying to do it for my generation,” he explained. “To give you more understanding around it, I'm doing it with maybe a smaller 'r' in the royal, if you like, that's maybe a better way of saying it."
Emphasising the monarchy as a medium to connect with the people, he said, “I’m going to throw empathy in there.” On a similar note, at The Diana Award in May, the Duke of Sussex praised the young leaders being honored for their compassion and vision. “From a younger generation standpoint, in an apathetic world, there’s more empathy in this generation than I’ve ever seen before,” he said. “It’s the empathy, the authenticity, the truth, the honesty, and the fearlessness… I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.”
Charles, for his part, has also tried, in his own way, to modernize the monarchy in a manner his mother never embraced. Unlike the late Queen, who maintained strict formality, Charles has shown a willingness to meet people on their level, whether that means occasionally accepting kisses from well-wishers, taking selfies, or shaking hands in a crowd. His coronation, pared down compared to his mother’s, was another sign of his intent to slim down the spectacle while keeping the core of the tradition intact.