Kate Middleton Couldn't Hold Back When Prince William Was Teased Over Balding by Royal Butler.
Former butler Grant Harrold is speakme about his time serving the royal family, as he launches a new book, out Sept. 23.
Like their mom Princess Diana, each Prince William and Prince Harry would experience chatting to personnel casually in the kitchens of the royal households.
They also, like their late mom, cherished a gossip and a tease with staffers and one day, that may additionally have long past too far.
Grant Harrold, a former butler to King Charles and his sons, recalls, “You hear these tales about their mom and how she would go in the kitchens and sit down on the worktops and have chats. What was once best about her boys is they had been the same."
"The best component about Kate and William, and Harry, is they continually thank people. The King [when he used to be Prince Charles] would too — he’d be grateful. But they would constantly come and locate you and thank you for what you’d done," he adds.
Harrold — merchandising his new e book The Royal Butler, out Sept. 23, which chronicles his ride from working-class Scotland to serving the late Queen Elizabeth — recollects one such chat the place the dialog became to aging.
"I said, 'From a man’s factor of view, the worst is when you begin receding, you begin going bald,’” he remembers. "Kate began sniggering, and I regarded over at William and he said, ‘Thanks, Grant!’ and leaned ahead to exhibit his hair."
But the prince was once in a position to get returned at the butler one day. Harrold had long past out and received a faux tan in Bath, a brief pressure away from Highgrove House — however, it did not go pretty as planned. Serving dinner quickly afterward, Charles and Camilla questioned what the abnormal odor was.
"Camilla was once searching at me, simply staring. [The King] said, ‘What have you done? What coloration did you pick, ‘Oompa Loompa?’ " Harrold recalls.
Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate noticed him quickly afterwards. “William said, ‘What have you done? Has it long gone everywhere?’ and being advised yes, he repeated, ‘Everywhere?’ I stated it was once 'everywhere.' He said, ‘Can I see it?’ "
Harrold explains, "I had to take my footwear and socks off to exhibit him my toes, which have been orange!"
“He thinking it was once brilliant. He received his very own back!" he adds.
Chatting to media chatting over tea and desserts at the Rubens Hotel in the shadow of the place he used to work at Buckingham Palace, Harrold jokes, "I’m simply fortunate I didn’t dye my hair inexperienced as well, I’d have been in the subsequent Wonka movie.”
The anecdote you’re referring to comes from a recent memoir by Grant Harrold, a former royal butler who served the British royal family from 2004 to 2011, including time at Highgrove House under then-Prince Charles (now King Charles III). Harrold, who worked closely with Prince William and Kate Middleton during their early relationship, shares a lighthearted story in his book *The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service* (set for release on September 23, 2025) about a casual conversation that turned teasing—and Kate’s inability to contain her laughter.
The Story Behind the Teasing.
While chatting informally with William and Kate at Highgrove House, the topic shifted to the downsides of aging. Harrold recalls saying, “From a man’s point of view, the worst is when you start receding, you start going bald.” At that moment, Kate “started sniggering” (a polite British term for giggling uncontrollably), unable to hold back her amusement. William, who was already experiencing early signs of hair thinning in his 20s, leaned forward and playfully pointed to his hairline, responding with a mock-exasperated “Thanks, Grant!” Harrold notes that palace staff had an unspoken rule around that time: “Don’t mention the bald patch,” as William’s hair loss was noticeable but not something openly discussed. Despite the sensitivity, William took the comment in good humor, true to his easygoing nature.
This wasn’t the first (or last) time Kate has teased William about his hair it’s a recurring theme in their playful dynamic, which Harrold describes as reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s banter-filled partnership. For instance:
- In 2014, during a royal tour of Australia at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Kate jokingly suggested William use a tuft of alpaca wool as a toupee to cover his bald spot after an exhibitor showed them some wool matching his hair color.
- BBC Radio 1 host Clara Amfo, who met the couple in 2018, later shared that Kate “had no qualms making fun of William’s hair situation,” adding that their “energy is really funny” and they “vibe off each other very well.” William, she said, is “the most fun royal” she’s met and handles the teasing with self-deprecating humor.
Harrold also recounts how William got his “revenge” on the butler later. After Harrold botched a spray tan session in Bath (turning his skin an unnatural orange “everywhere,” including his toes), William spotted it and burst out laughing, insisting on a full inspection. “He thought it was brilliant. He got his own back!” Harrold writes.
Context on William’s Hair and the Royals’ Approach.
Prince William’s balding has been a topic of public speculation for years, starting in his early 20s—likely genetic, given that both his grandfather Prince Philip and father King Charles experienced similar thinning. Despite rumors (often from tabloids like the National Enquirer in 2021 claiming Kate “hates” it and wants him to wear a toupee), insiders like Harrold emphasize that William embraces it without vanity treatments. He combs his remaining hair forward but avoids dramatic fixes, and Kate has publicly supported this, once telling a radio host in 2019 that she loves his “fantastic” hair regardless. Recent 2024 reports even dubbed him the “sexiest bald man” in global rankings based on facial symmetry and appeal, though some speculated it might spark light jealousy from Kate amid the attention.
This story highlights the Waleses’ modern, relatable side: they’re a “team” who gossip and tease like friends, much like their late grandmother-in-law and her husband. Harrold, now promoting his book, stresses that William and Kate’s bond strengthened post their 2007 split, evolving into a partnership that’s “very much a modern royal couple.” If you’re interested in more royal insider tales, the book dives deeper into their early days, including a “romantic” post-split dinner where staff sensed they were destined to marry.
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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