Prince William “will be furious” about his brother Prince Harry returning to the UK, according to a former royal butler who worked closely with both brothers.
Grant Harrold’s comments follow news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s planned UK return. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to make their home in a non-royal residence outside London after six years in the US. According to reports, their return is for an “extended period” and not a permanent move.
Grant, who worked with William and Harry until 2011, believes the move will bring unresolved family tensions much closer to home. He also suggested Harry could struggle to regain William’s trust.
Why Prince William could be ‘furious’ over Harry’s UK return
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Grant said: “William will be furious. Harry has said some extraordinary things about the family. William is somebody that when you break trust and you go beyond a certain point, there’s no going back.”
He argued that the distance between the brothers had previously allowed William to put their difficulties to one side.
Grant continued: “Before, William would have said ‘he’s 5,000/6,000 miles away and it’s not my problem, he’s in another country’. But now he’s suddenly back on the doorstep. I just don’t think he’s going to be happy about the situation at all.”
Harry made a series of public claims about members of the royal family following his departure from royal duties. These included comments about William, Princess Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla in his memoir, Spare.
Former royal butler explains Harry’s bond with King Charles
Despite his warning about William’s possible reaction, Grant said he had long expected Harry to come back to Britain. He linked that view to the duke’s childhood relationship with his father.
He told The Independent: “Harry was always going to return to the UK to be near his father.”
Grant also suggested that having a loved one facing health concerns could make Harry want to live closer to the king. However, his comments represent his own assessment of the duke’s reasons for returning.
The Sun has claimed that King Charles and Prince William are holding summit talks at Balmoral to discuss the Sussexes’ move.
Prince Harry among claimants ordered to pay £9.5m
The return news comes as Harry faces a separate legal development. Mr Justice Nicklin has ordered the duke and six other prominent figures to make an initial £9.5 million payment to Associated Newspapers Limited.
The payment follows the dismissal in July of claims accusing the Daily Mail publisher of unlawful information gathering. The allegations included landline tapping, the use of private investigators to place listening devices in cars and obtaining private records by deception.
ANL strongly denied the allegations during a 45-day High Court trial. The remaining costs will be decided at a future hearing.
ED! has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
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