Former royal butler Grant Harrold reveals what shocked him about meeting the Queen

Former royal butler Grant Harrold has opened up about what it's like to work with the royal family behind the scenes in their daily lives.

• A former royal butler has revealed the thing that shocked him about the Queen when he first met her, as well as a heartwarming insight into her character.
• Grant worked as a butler for the Prince of Wales from 2004 to 2011 and got to know the other members of the Royal Family during this time. 
• This royal news comes as Meghan Markle confesses she wanted a 'Swan Lake' wedding with 'poofy' dress in Archetypes podcast. 

Working up close and personal with the royal family certainly sounds fascinating, but for former royal butler Grant Harrold, interacting with the royals became a usual occurrence during his time working for the Prince of Wales.

"When my phone used to go off and it was William, all my friends would be like that’s so cool, but to me it was normal," he told Slingo Blog (opens in new tab). "That was the relationship I had with them. I think it was really special and not unusual, actually, because in a private home you’re expected to get on with the family."

He also explained what it was like the first time he met the Queen herself. When asked what his first impression was, he replied, “I remember thinking how short she was, you don’t realize how short she is - that was the first thing. The other thing I remember is the wonderful kind of way she had about her, she wasn’t very regal or royal, but we had a really nice conversation and I felt really relaxed around her.

“The other thing the Queen does, she would do something that was hysterical and nobody would laugh because they wouldn’t know if she was being funny or not. And you’d all look at each other like, ‘did the Queen just make a joke?’

"Then eventually somebody would laugh and you’d all go [laughs]. She’s wonderful at that and that is something that I absolutely loved. Our Queen has got a wicked sense of humor.”

Grant isn't the only butler to reveal the royal family's secrets.

Paul Burrell, who served as Her Majesty’s personal footman and then butler to Princess Diana for 10 years, has previously spoken about the Her Majesty's eating habits, claiming the Queen only has tiny portions of her Christmas dinner.

As reported in The Mirror, Paul Burrell has recently opened up to Vicky Pattison on her The Secret podcast. He revealed that Her Majesty “only ever eats very little portions” and described her as having “great self-discipline”. 

He explained, “She doesn’t eat a Christmas dinner like we do where it is piled high and you can’t see each other across the table”.