Former Butler Reveals the "Cheeky Prank" Prince William Played on Princess Kate—Involving a "Witch's Black Cat"— With the Help of the Royal Staff
"William was just winding Kate up, and I was backing him up."


Several members of the Royal Family have been known to play pranks on one another over the years. While Queen Elizabeth II once tricked American tourists in Balmoral, Princess Diana reportedly had a "really filthy" sense of humor. According to a former royal butler, Prince William has also been known to "play pranks" on wife Kate Middleton. In fact, royal staff apparently helped the Prince of Wales carry out one particular joke involving a black cat.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold reflected on William and Kate's humorous relationship, telling Heart Bingo, "They do love playing pranks. When you say play pranks, it's more jokey; it's silly things they do to each other."
Reflecting on his time with the Royal Family, Harrold explained, "I remember one occasion when I was working there, William was playing a joke on Kate and telling her there was a black cat on the estate, saying it was a witch's castle."
The former royal butler continued, "Kate wanted to see it, but we told her she kept missing it. William was just winding Kate up, and I was backing him up—and she was believing us."
Prince William reportedly enjoys playing pranks on Princess Kate.
According to Harrold, Prince William and Princess Kate's hijinks are all in good humor. "They definitely do have wind-ups, and they play practical jokes on each other," he told the outlet. "But it's just fun, they do it to the staff as well."
"But it's just fun, they do it to the staff as well."
As well as tricking each other, the royals "give each other silly gifts at Christmas, and have a bit of a giggle," Harrold explained. For instance, it was previously reported that Princess Kate once gave her brother-in-law Prince Harry a "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" kit, per the Mirror.
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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.