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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Why Prince Harry Apologized for "Being a Bit Silly" During His Unexpected Introduction to One Former Royal Butler

    "I did a double take. Okay, I thought, so this is happening."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 28 June 2026 In News

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    Prince Harry is a man with ginger hair, and a slight smirk on his face, wearing a black suit with military medals attached to the lapel
    (Image credit: Andy Stenning / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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    Working for the British Royal Family certainly has its perks. However, several former royal butlers have detailed their work experiences, including some seriously unexpected stories about serving members of the Royal Family.

    In his book, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service, Grant Harrold revealed what happened when he met Prince Harry for the first time.

    "I was in the kitchen one day, having a conversation with the chef, when someone appeared at the door and, without warning, threw a water balloon at me," Harrold explained. "I did a double take. Okay, I thought, so this is happening."

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    The former royal butler continued, "Prince Harry has just arrived home and I'm getting a water balloon thrown at me. Narrowly avoiding the first missile, I saw he was lining up another and instinctively dived into the larder at the back of the kitchen."

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    Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William laughing in a log flume

    "[Prince Harry] appeared at the door and, without warning, threw a water balloon at me."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Finding himself in the middle of a water balloon fight, Harrold seemingly panicked when he realized he "was cornered."

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    Per the butler, "I spied a small window about the size of a picture frame, with a net covering to stop flies coming in. Scarcely believing what I was doing, I removed the netting and somehow managed to crawl out of the window and ended up outside."

    Unfortunately for Harrold, leaving the house wasn't enough to escape Prince Harry's water balloon attack.

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    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    "But as soon as I hit the ground, a water balloon smacked me on the back, soaking my shirt," he wrote. "I looked up to see that Harry had run upstairs and was throwing them from a window."

    King Charles and Prince Harry smiling at the 2024 Invictus Games Opening Ceremony

    "Sorry...I'm just being a bit silly."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    When Harrold finally met Prince Harry, the young royal actually apologized, saying, "Sorry...I'm just being a bit silly," according to the butler.

    The former royal butler told the prince he didn't mind at all, and the pair reportedly struck up a rapport. Basically, if you can survive a surprise water balloon attack, you're going to be friends for life.

    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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