Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Kayleigh Roberts

A Former Royal Butler Explained All the Ways Kate Middleton Acts Just Like Princess Diana—Even in Private Moments

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 10: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey on March 10, 2025 in London, England. The Commonwealth represents a global network of 56 independent countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion people, of which over 60 per cent are aged 29 and under. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images).

Even though they never got the chance to meet, Kate Middleton reportedly has a lot in common with her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.

Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who is busy promoting his upcoming book The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, recently revealed his personal impressions of Kate, who he met a number of times during his seven-year tenure as a butler for members of the royal family, primarily working for King Charles.

Even though Kate was still in her early twenties at the time, Harrold says it was clear from the start that she was future Queen material.

“That girl was a Queen in waiting in every aspect," he told The Mirror. "She is the perfect Queen material and you can so obviously see that. Everything about her—the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, the way she interacted with people, her kindness, her beauty—she was, if I can say, the modern day Princess Diana.”

Former royal butler Grant Harrold called Kate Middleton "the modern day Princess Diana.” (Image credit: Getty Images)

Harrold's comparisons between the current and former Princesses of Wales didn't stop there, however. He went on cite some more specific similarities between Kate and Diana, who he describes as behaving similarly even in private moments.

“Diana used to do things at Sandringham to make the staff laugh by poking her head out the window and pulling faces, and Kate was doing the same kind of thing," he explained. "She is everything you can imagine, she is a beautiful and intelligent woman.”

In his book, Harrold also touches on Kate's close relationship with her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, which the former butler witnessed firsthand during his time working for the royal family.

“He used to go out with Kate. William would be away, and Kate and Harry would be off doing stuff together," Harrold writes in his book, according to an excerpt published by The Telegraph on Monday, Aug. 18, in which he explains that the pair were known to “go shopping” and “go to pubs” together.

“I think when people say, ‘Oh he was left out,’ he really wasn’t. But also, he was with Chelsy," Harrold writes, referring to Harry's ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, who he dated off and on from 2004 through 2011. "Chelsy was always around. And Chelsy and Kate got on really well.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.