Grant Harrold is a former “royal butler” who has tried to become a go-to royal commentator in the UK and beyond. Last year, he gave tons of interviews and even wrote a book, and all his stories were royalist fictions. Some even believed that Harrold was some kind of palace operative, sent out to shill the palace’s talking points. In the grand scheme of things, probably not – he’s just a mooch/grifter, looking to cash in on the increasingly desperate and broke-ass royalist agenda. Speaking of, a few days ago, Harrold posted what he claimed was an old, never-before-seen photo of Prince William and then-Kate Middleton. Kate was sitting on William’s lap, with her arms wrapped around William’s neck. It did not look real. As it turns out, it was AI, and now the royalists are tearing Harrold to shreds.
He left Palace officials unimpressed after attempting to trademark his ‘Royal Butler’ moniker while launching schools on working in service and etiquette. And it was thought the saga had come to an end when the Intellectual Property Office ruled in the late Queen’s favour when her legal team raised objections. But Grant Harrold, 48, now appears to be causing fresh unease within royal circles.
I can reveal King Charles’s former butler is accused of sharing ‘fake’, potentially AI-generated images that look as though they were taken from within royal grounds. The snaps, which were posted on social media, include an intimate photo purporting to show William and Kate cuddling.
‘This wonderful photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales was taken when I first met them back in 2004,’ Harrold wrote on Instagram, adding: ‘A true royal love story.’
The image was then shared by journalist Katie Nicholl, the ex-butler’s co-host on Piers Morgan’s new YouTube series, Royals Uncensored. She commented: ‘Love this!’
But a well-placed royal source is unsure about its authenticity, saying: ‘I can see why questions are being asked by others.’ Kensington Palace did not comment.
William and Kate’s relationship became public knowledge in 2004, when the couple were photographed skiing together in Switzerland. That same year, Harrold began working for Charles at his Highgrove estate before being made redundant seven years later. He then received an undisclosed settlement after alleging unfair dismissal and workplace bullying. He has also worked for William and Kate, as well as the late Queen. Harrold additionally appeared as a butler in reality show Country House. He has since become a regular royal commentator on TV.
After I contacted Harrold, he admitted: ‘I did not take or own this image. It’s how I remember them in my early years in the Royal Household.’
What’s crazy is that this is standard operating procedure for Prince William and Kate’s biggest fans online. They’re always airbrushing the Wales family’s photos, and adding makeup (even to the kids) and posting fake photos. Don’t get me started on the sketchy photos William and Kate post themselves, several of which look AI-generated or completely manipulated. But still, it’s unusual for a royal commentator to try to pass off a likely AI-generated image of William and Kate and act like it’s some personal, never-before-seen snap.
'Royal butler' Grant Harrold posts fake intimate photograph of Prince William and Catherine online and pretends he took it. Read Tuesday's Eden Confidential social diary:https://t.co/z4bnRazoKY
— Richard Eden (@richardaeden) May 26, 2026
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of The Sun.
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I thought he was just another grifter until I learned that his longtime partner was one of Charles’ gardeners until just a few years ago and he lived with him on the Highgrove estate. Then I found out that this guy sued Clarence House for wrongful termination and workplace bullying in 2011 and then claimed part of his settlement was being able to trademark and use the term “royal butler.” The Queen sued to stop him from using it and won. So while he’s certainly a grifter I do wonder if he’s a grifter with a push from Charles’s people.
LOL that anniversary video got these royalist fans and the courtiers shook! William out there talking about how Kate reads in bed at night, random former butlers searching the internet for any photos that don’t show William and Kate looking like casual acquaintances. Columnists criticizing Meghan for not including any pictures with the royals in her anniversary post.
I don’t know that I believe he’s working with any coordination with the palaces, I think this is just those people who are so locked in on the royalist fantasy being really bothered by what they see as “their” couple being lacking in comparison in multiple areas.
How interesting that he sued for “BULLYING”. Oh, *where* have I heard that word being bandied about before??? Hmmm… it’s juuuuust beyond my memory… I *know* it had to do with the royals…but about *whom*????? 🤔. All I can come up with are: Philip, Charles, Margaret, Pedo, William, Kate, Eddie, Sophie…. no…no… hmmmm….
Even I can tell that photo is not real. Interesting that it popped up just after all those romantic and sexy Sussex anniversary photos. They wish they had those types of photos of then wales but they just don’t. The Wales wish they could magically use AI to project something other than reality but this one is just too obvious.
The closest spontaneous photos of them being anywhere near affectionate are the ones at their graduation, and the “hug” at the Olympics right after marriage. Can anyone else remember any other time/pic of *real* and/or *spontaeous* affection btwn these two?
I can’t imagine being that desperate to make people believe some couple (that is not you and who wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire) has a loving relationship.. I love when the Sussex’s post real moments but even as a fan I’m not going to create false moments that’s really twisted imo.
Maybe the ex-butler did it for William. W looks so much like Diana in that fake photo, it might generate some good will for him. Those looks are now gone.
“Palace has eye on ex-butler”
Is an intriguing opening for this story. Did this guy pull this image from the internet and it’s entirely fake or was this an actual old image of William with this Kate-ish face plunked over the original person??
Why is ‘fake’ in air quotes in this piece?
🤔
This is embarrassing. He has since deleted the photos and apologized for posting the fake photos. But perhaps like other derangers his desperation for William and Kate to be seen as a loving couple got the better of him.