Working in the royal palace is like Downton Abbey, claims former butler
The rare insight you never knew you needed
The royal family, as well as the palaces and the households, have been said to be incorrectly portrayed in TV shows, films and series.
The Crown has previously come under fire for some controversial plots, which are said to be moulded on real life events.
However, former royal butler, Grant Harrold, has claimed during his seven years working for the now King Charles III, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, was not too dissimilar to Downton Abbey.
Speaking to online gaming site Slingo, he said: “The easiest way to explain it is, it’s like what you see in Downton Abbey, butlers are there to look after the family – albeit quite a famous family – look after guests, serve meals and drinks.”
As well as tending to the royal family, the royal staff act as a PA to the members of the royal household.
He continued: “But what people don’t realise is that you’re also kind of a personal assistant and expected to make things run [smoothly] for them. If you can do something for somebody and it doesn’t impact their day for it to happen, then that’s being a good butler. They want someone who is going to make things happen.”
However, Grant loved every minute of his job.
He gushed: “I never ever, ever, had a cross word from the Royal family or any of my employers in the past. They were amazing.
“Things do go wrong, things can be late – if something was late or there was a hold up it would affect their diaries, they would always plan out what they’re doing, so it could mess up their whole day. You’re always keeping on track so it doesn’t happen, but if it does, it wasn’t truly a problem. I don’t remember messing anything up badly, I’m sure I broke the odd thing but I used to always tell people.”
In fact, Grant considers his career as being a huge highlight, and unforgettable experience many will never share, and for that he is grateful.
Asked what he enjoyed most about his career, he said: “Getting to be around the Royals. If the line of succession does happen and both Charles and William get to become kings, there’s not a lot of people who can say they looked after three monarchs. I feel very proud to have done that, to have looked after them and to have known them. I’ve been gone 11 years now and yet I’m still really lucky that people still want to hear the stories. I think it’s nice for people to hear that the Royals are nice people, they are down to earth and it’s a fun place to be.”
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