Former Butler Shares What Really Happened on the Royal Train as King Charles Announces It's Being Decommissioned
Grant Harrold shares some "cheeky" stories from aboard the historic locomotive.
It's the end of an era. The Royal Household released its Sovereign Grant Report for 2024-2025 on June 30, sharing that the royal train—a longtime favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth—will be decommissioned after "a thorough review into its use and value for money." According to the report, the royal train will be phased out after its current contract expires in March 2027.
While traveling in a "mobile palace" was seen as glamorous in the earlier days of Queen Elizabeth's reign, the train—which features spaces to sleep, work and relax in privacy—was used less and less over the years.
Grant Harrold, who served as a butler to King Charles from 2004 to 2011, shared that traveling aboard the royal train was a "unique" experience. Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, Harrold said, "It was definitely more comfortable than regular first class. We had proper armchairs in a sitting area, and while the bedrooms were tiny, they were perfectly fine for overnight travel."
The King, seen exiting the royal train in 2018, isn't as fond of the train as his mother once was.
The late Queen enjoyed getting some work done on the royal train, as seen in this 2002 photo.
The former butler continued the one downside was potentially falling out of bed. "I do recall holding on tight when going around corners!" Harrold said. "I’d been told someone once fell out of bed on a turn, so I never really slept properly, too busy bracing myself."
As for some of the details, he shared that the train—which was commissioned in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee and includes a full dining room—"had menus on board with the royal train crest printed on them." The butler even kept some as a souvenir after traveling with The King (then Prince Charles) and the late Queen.
"Another fun fact, there was a gift shop on board," Harrold added. "People don’t realize that. You could actually buy gifts, a unique little touch."
He continued that there was always plenty of fanfare when the train pulled into stations around the U.K., sharing how "a few of us would stand behind the net curtains in the carriages and give little 'royal waves.' You’d hear the crowd cheering, they thought we were the actual royals! A bit cheeky, but very funny."
The royal train includes its own dining room.
While the train was beloved by the late Queen, King Charles has barely used it to travel to royal engagements, taking the locomotive to the Midlands in March 2025 after not using it since the spring of 2024. The monarch has, however, ensured that the form of transportation—like his vintage Aston Martin—is environmentally friendly, with the train running on hydro-treated vegetable oil.
The most famous royal train outings in recent years include the 2018 trip to Cheshire Meghan Markle took with Queen Elizabeth in June 2018 and the "royal train tour" Prince William and Princess Kate took in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per the Telegraph, Queen Elizabeth saved the royal train from extinction in 2017, but after her 2022 death, the Royal Household began investigating whether it was worth keeping it in operation. The answer, in short, is no—a two-day train trip taken by The King in 2023 cost £52,013 ($71,000), according to the media outlet.
