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    Former Royal Butler Calls This Royal the "Smartest" Now That Queen Elizabeth II Is Gone

    One member of the Royal Family would "be top of that pile without any question."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 19 July 2025 In News

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    King Charles joins Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, and Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony
    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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    Queen Elizabeth II was renowned for her wicked sense of humor, her ability to deliver sharp retorts, and her willingness to play pranks on just about anyone. As a result, it's entirely unsurprising that one former royal employee has claimed that the late Queen was the "smartest" member of the Royal Family. However, since Elizabeth's death on September 8, 2022, another royal relative may have taken the cleverness crown, a former royal butler has suggested.

    "The smartest in my mind would have been Queen Elizabeth II, and the reason I say that is not just intelligence; she was witty, ruled a country for over 70 years, and knew about sports," former royal butler Grant Harrold told online learning platform Study Dog, via the Express. "Right behind her, I would say The King because he speaks several languages, but he is also very intelligent with numbers, and his command of the English language is extraordinary."

    Harrold continued, "[King Charles is] super intelligent, so if you're talking about the royals now, he'd be top of that pile without any question. But I would also put Princess Anne up there; she is a knowledgeable lady."

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    King Charles wears a blue suit and walks alongside Queen Camilla and Queen Elizabeth, who both wear floral dresses

    "She was witty, ruled a country for over 70 years, and knew about sports."

    (Image credit: Jack Hill - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

    During the same interview, Harrold discussed the future of the monarchy, and what education Prince William and Kate Middleton's three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—might receive.

    "I don't think it would [be frowned upon] these days [if they didn't attend college]," Harrold told the outlet. "We may find that George, Charlotte, and Louis might not all go to university. They may go straight to somewhere like [Royal Military Academy] Sandhurst."

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    Prince George and Prince William smiling at Wimbledon

    "George...will have to go through that military training."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The former butler continued, "In particular, George, as it is seen as vital for future kings to have had some sort of military training, so you can guarantee that George, whether he likes it or not, will have to go through that military training."

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    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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