Prince Harry Called 'Spoiled' and 'Difficult' by Former Butler: 'He's Always Lived in a Bubble'

Former royal butler Paul Burrell, who served as Princess Diana’s butler from 1987 until she died in 1997, seconded the claims made about Prince Harry earlier this year in Vanity Fair.

The publication released an exposé about Harry and Meghan Markle, detailing their downfall with the Royal Family. Among many of the shocking claims made, were the allegations of Meghan contacting a publishing company to “gauge interest” in a post-divorce book as well as what it was really like working for the Sussexes in the U.K.

In a new interview, the ex-butler confirmed the exposé’s accusation of Harry being a handful. “I know from firsthand experience how difficult Harry can be,” Burrell told an outlet. “I know how petulant he can be and how spoiled he is, because I’ve experienced that myself. He’s always lived in a bubble.”

Burrell expressed disappointment in Harry taking on a “celebrity” persona rather than standing his ground as a philanthropic and working member of the Royal Family.

“I always circle back to the fact that Harry’s mother taught him long ago that the price for a privileged lifestyle is public service,” he noted. “Harry seems to have forgotten this lesson now he lives a celebrity Hollywood lifestyle that’s totally different from his royal one.”

Grant Harrold, another former butler for the royals who worked at Highgrove between 2004 and 2011, also opened up about how different Harry is. In a recent interview, Harrold explained the bond between Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton before Meghan came into the picture.

“They involved him,” Harrold said of how William and Kate treated Harry. “He [Harry] used to go out with Kate. William would be away, and Kate and Harry would be off doing stuff together. They’d go shopping together, they’d go to pubs together… I think when people say, ‘Oh, he was left out,’ he really wasn’t.”

After Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, Calif., in 2020, the couple scored a $100 million deal with Netflix, the Suits actress launched her lifestyle brand and also capitalized on her status by creating two podcasts. However, the Hollywood fairytale hasn’t lived up to Harry’s expectations.

Once Harry’s bombshell BBC interview in May was released, where he shared his desire to “reconcile” with his father, King Charles, friends of his came forward to explain how “desperately lonely” Harry has become since moving to California.

“He doesn’t really have any real friends in the area except for [fellow polo player] Nacho [Figueras], and Nacho travels constantly for polo matches,” the source said to a news outlet. “He is still very close with the ‘band of brothers’ who were at his wedding — particularly Guy Pelley and Mark Dyer, but they live in England, and the time zones are so different it’s very hard to talk regularly.”

“And again, there is no one for him to hang out with [in person] besides Nacho when he is in town or Meghan and the children,” the insider continued. “He spends a lot of time chilling with his bodyguards.”