Prince Harry may have played an unexpected role in Prince William and Kate Middleton’s famous reconciliation. Grant Harrold, King Charles’ former butler and author of The Royal Butler, told Us Weekly in a report published on 6 September that Harry’s friendship with Kate was so strong during William and Kate’s brief split in the mid-2000s that he even wondered if the pair might end up together.
“They got on so well,” Harrold recalled. “I remember, when [Prince William] and [Kate] separated … [Prince Harry] and [Kate] got on so well that I even thought that maybe Harry and her would get together. They were that close. They were best friends … So it could have been Harry and Catherine easily, I would have thought. But, you know, thankfully [William] got her back.”
Harrold believes that instead of making a move himself, Harry actually encouraged his brother to reconcile with Kate. “Harry definitely would have said to his brother, ‘You’re crazy.’ I’m sure. I’m convinced of it,” he said.
The couple did indeed reunite in 2008, two years after their short-lived separation, and went on to announce their engagement in 2010. They married in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey the following year, watched by millions across the world.
Although Harry is now estranged from much of his family, Harrold said he still hopes the Duke of Sussex showed support for Kate after she revealed her cancer diagnosis earlier this year. “I’d be horrified if he didn’t,” Harrold said.
The comments shed new light on a chapter of royal history that is often remembered as a turning point for William and Kate. At the time of their brief split, the press speculated heavily about whether the relationship had a future. Yet behind the scenes, it seems Harry may have played a quiet but important part in steering his brother back towards the woman who would one day be Queen.