'Blunt' Prince Philip Intimidated Royal Staff: 'He Wasn't Everyone's Cup of Tea'

After working for the British royal family for seven years, butler Grant Harrold documented his experience in his memoir, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service.

Having been published in August, Harrold opened up in a new interview about his claims regarding Prince Philip’s waggish conduct inside the walls of the royal estates.

“He [Prince Philip] would come out with these classic lines and then follow up with a swear word or something,” Harrold said. “I always remember this one time… I think I was cleaning up after breakfast in the dining room. I looked outside and saw this gentleman walking around. Immediately, I recognized it was Prince Philip… I went to one of the other butlers and said, ‘Should we go out and see if he needs anything?’ They all looked at me and said, ‘No!’ And I said, ‘Why?’ They all continued, ‘No, no, no!’”

Harrold elaborated on Philip’s reputation with royal staffers, saying, “they were a bit nervous of him,” adding, “He was blunt — he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, if I can say that… But I adored Prince Philip. That’s what I liked about him. I liked the fact that he didn’t suffer fools, and he did speak his mind.”

Having been married to Queen Elizabeth II, who was also known for her quick wit, Harrold recalled that during their marriage, the queen was smitten over her husband’s one-of-a-kind personality.

“Perpetually in hot water over his inappropriate comments, Prince Philip was a hoot to be around,” the former royal butler explained. “With a permanent glint in his eye, Philip was the rock that kept Queen Elizabeth smiling. Although on one occasion she was horrified when a family member remarked on her flawless complexion and Philip piped up, ‘Yes, and she's like that all over.’”

In his newly released memoir, Harrold recounted Philip’s reaction to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s long-winded wedding ceremony, writing, “Once all the formalities were over, we watched as the happy couple, and then the other members of the Royal Family, filed out of the chapel. When Prince Philip came out, he turned to the Queen and said, ‘Thank f--- that’s over.’”

Harrold detailed his excerpt about Philip during his interview, saying that when he began working for the royals in 2004, he quickly acquainted himself with the prince’s ability to say “it as it was.”

The royal butler continued, “He didn’t hold back. He was well known for using his alternative words, let’s put it that way. As I mentioned regarding his comment when he came out of the chapel, that was what I had witnessed over the years. That’s how he was.”