Former Royal Butler Says Andrew Gave Off a Bad "Vibe"

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wearing a gray suit and blue tie at Wimbledon — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Grant Harrold worked as a royal butler to King Charles at his country retreat, Highgrove House, serving the now-King between 2004 and 2011. Along with working for Charles and Camilla, he encountered numerous members of the Royal Family, and speaking on the LadBible Stories YouTube Channel, Harrold said that his memories of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor weren’t fond.

“So my interactions with him were few and far between, and when I did have any dealings with him, in fairness to him, he was polite,” Harrold said of Andrew. However, he added that the former Duke of York gave off a different energy than the rest of the family.

"There would be a kind of 'thank you' or whatever, but there was also this feeling of, as a lot of people describe, entitled feeling,” the former butler continued. “You got the feeling he thought he was better than everyone, just his mannerisms and his...the way he was.”

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and King Charles wearing suits and tiex — Harrold said that he didn't recall King Charles “being that close” with his brother, Andrew.

The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service

Harrold, who often speaks about the kindness of The King and Queen, said that the rest of the Royal Family absolutely didn't carry the same attitude as Andrew. He shared that he found it to be “weird” that “no other member of the family” had that snobbish “vibe,” including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

“But with [Andrew], he had this…I can't even explain it to you. I just didn't want to be in his presence,” Harrold shared. “I mean, you know, luckily, I didn't have to do much for him.”

Recalling King Charles and Queen Camilla’s April 2005 wedding, which Harrold attended as a guest, he said that Andrew “didn’t speak to any of the staff members that were there as guests. He would only speak to the, if you like, family or family friends.”

Grant Harrold on a couch stirring tea next to Kelly Clarkson — Grant Harrold demonstrates afternoon tea etiquette to Kelly Clarkson.

Harrold said he found Andrew's behavior to be “quite sad actually, because I don't know why he was like that.” He added that when speaking with “colleagues in the royal household, none of them ever have a nice thing to say about him.”

“Put it this way, he wasn’t one of the most popular royals,” he concluded.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.