Royal butler reveals the special event that will ‘reunite Prince Harry and William’ as he recalls playful bond the brothers shared as children

Princes William and Harry were a ‘team’ in childhood and always played ‘practical jokes’ on each other, a former royal butler has revealed.

Grant Harrold, who worked at King Charles‘s personal home Highgrove between 2004 and 2011, has shared insights about the royal family as part of a new documentary for 60 Minutes Australia – including the once tight-knit relationship between the now-warring brothers.

William and Harry were manly raised at Highgrove House after King Charles purchased the property in 1980 and it became his main residence.

Mr Harrold told the Australian programme that the siblings, who have a two year age gap, were always ‘joking around’ together and had a close relationship with one another.

‘The two of them were practical jokers, they were a team and they used to wind each other up and if you were involved in it, you’d get brought into this wind up situation, this comedy, brotherly fun,’ he said. 

‘It was like that all the time, that’s why it’s sad how that’s completely changed, it’s extraordinary [to see] how much that could change.’

Harry and Meghan made a decision to step down as royals in 2020, before shortly moving to sunny Montecito in California. 

The pair then went on to speak to Oprah Winfrey about the tensions between them and The Firm.

Prince William and Prince Harry were a ‘team’ who were always playing ‘practical jokes’ together, according to a former royal butler (pictured in 2000)

Prince Harry and the Duke of Sussex are seen speaking to a gardener as they unveil a statue of their mother in 2021

Grant Harrold worked at King Charles ‘ personal home Highgrove during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, has shared insights about the royal family as part of a new documentary

During the notorious interview, Harry said: ‘My father and my brother are trapped. They don’t get to leave.’ 

He then also released his autobiography Spare, which delved into further detail about the alleged disagreements that the two brothers had.

Harry claimed William ‘knocked me to the floor’ during a confrontation in London in 2019 after the Prince of Wales allegedly called Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex later made a Netflix docuseries with Meghan claiming that William screamed and shouted at him during the Sandringham summit.

The brothers have been reunited a handful of times since the Sussexes’ move stateside, and have attended some of the same events. Most recently, they both attended the funeral of their uncle, Robert Fellowes, last August, but it was reported that no one saw them speak.

However, despite all of this, Mr Harrold believes that the broken bond between the future King and the ‘spare’ won’t last forever.

Instead, he believes that the pair will reunite at the Prince of Wales’ Coronation.

‘I have no doubt that William would want his brother, not as much to play a part in it, but certainly to be there,’ Mr Harrold said. 

Mr Harrold told the Australian programme that the siblings, who have a two year age gap between them, were always ‘joking around’ together (pictured at Highgrove in 1999)

Prince William and Prince Harry sit together at the steps of Highgrove wearing military uniforms in July 1986

Prince William and Prince Harry are seen attending the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2017

Former royal aide Jason Knauf revealed the estrangement between Prince Harry and Prince William has been ‘hard and sad’

When the journalist asked the former butler whether Harry would want to play a part in it, he replied: ‘It appears to be that he’s quite happy with his new life and his way of doing things which you couldn’t get further away from the royal family if you tried with what’s he’s doing.

‘But saying that I do think he will be there to support his brother and as he has been for his father.’ 

Despite Harry claiming to reveal all during his television interview and in his book, William has held a dignified silence and has not addressed any of the Duke’s claims.

Former royal aide Jason Knauf, who has worked closely with the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also appeared on the show and gave his thoughts on their strained relationship. 

Despite leaving his Royal Foundation role in 2021, he has remained in contact with William and is described as one of his ‘close confidants’ on 60 Minutes Australia.  

‘We have ups and downs in family, even when you really love someone, you can have times when you don’t want to spend that much time with them,’ Mr Knauf said.

‘It’s very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye but [William has] chosen to keep his thoughts on it private and I think all of us who know him really have to respect that we should do the same.

‘But I will say of course it’s been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them.’

Jason was the joint head of communications for both Harry and Meghan and William and Kate 

Jason said at the time: ‘Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime’

When asked if Harry’s role will change once William is King, Mr Knauf said: ‘I can’t speculate on the future, they achieved a lot together and none of that can be taken away. 

‘This may be an extraordinary family that anyone gets to talk about, write about and see being interviewed but at the end of the day, it’s a family.’

Mr Knauf was formerly Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s press secretary before he accused her of ‘bullying’ younger staff. The Duchess has always denied the allegations. 

He worked for William and Kate from 2015 to 2021 and remained close with the family afterwards.

The 60 Minutes Documentary, Where There’s A Will, speaks to journalists and royal aides about the future King of England, and explores what sort of leader he will likely be. 

Jason Knauf initially worked as joint head of communications for both Harry and Meghan and William and Kate.

He subsequently made serious allegations about Meghan’s alleged bullying of junior staff before quitting.

The duchess has always denied the allegations of bullying, which she described as an orchestrated smear campaign against her.

Prince Harry and Prince William are pictured speaking to Meghan Markle in 2018 on the Buckingham Palace balcony 

In their Netflix series, released in 2022, the Sussexes once again made clear their hostility towards Mr Knauf, with Meghan’s lawyer going so far as to suggest Prince William would have given his authority for him to come forward. 

Mr Knauf responded, saying he had been a neutral witness and did not consult the Royal Household first.

The royal aide became a special adviser to William and Kate and then chief executive of the Royal Foundation, the charitable arm of their official operations.

During his time working for the couple, Mr Knauf helped start William’s high-profile Earthshot environmental awards and the couple’s Heads Together mental health initiative, as well as undertaking 36 foreign trips with them.

He left the foundation in 2021 to move abroad.

He was been made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, which is conferred for extraordinary services to the monarch or members of the Royal Family in 2023.

Mr Knauf said at the time: ‘Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime.

‘Receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say. I am incredibly grateful.’