Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Culture
    2. Celebrity News
    3. Royal News

    Sweet Details of Prince Harry and Princess Kate’s Former Friendship Have Surfaced

    Jadie Troy-Pryde's avatar
    By Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Published 19 August 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Sweet details of Prince Harry and Kate Middleton's former friendship have surfaced
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Prince Harry's fractured relationships with the royal family have been widely documented in recent years, particularly since the Duke of Sussex relocated to the US with his family. In his memoir, Spare, Harry discussed the breakdown of his bond with Prince William and in a recent interview with the BBC he claimed that King Charles "won't speak" to him - although the monarch recently employed his aides to engage in "peace talks".

    Now, a former Palace butler is opening up about Harry's former friendship with Princess Kate. He was famously close to the Princess of Wales; the pair reportedly shared funny Christmas gifts and Kate was "in tears" at the news of his departure from royal life. In fact, earlier this year, it was reported that the Princess has devised a plan to reunite her husband and brother-in-law.

    In his new book, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, former butler Grant Harrold has shared details about Harry and Kate's close bond. In an excerpt shared by The Telegraph, he writes: "[William and Kate] involved him [Harry]. He used to go out with Kate. William would be away, and Kate and Harry would be off doing stuff together."

    According to Harrold, Harry and Kate would spend time together shopping or at the pub. He added: "I think when people say, 'Oh he was left out' he really wasn't, but also, he was with Chelsy. Chelsy was always around, and Chelsy and Kate got on really well."

    Catherine, the Princess of Wales: the Biography: the Instant Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller - the Royal Gift of the Year: Amazon.co.uk: Jobson, Robert: 9781789468960: Books

    Catherine, the Princess of Wales: the Biography by Robert Jobson
    £5
    SHOP NOW

    In this Sunday Times bestseller, royal author correspondent Robert Jobson takes a look at the popular royal's journey from university undergraduate to the Princess of Wales.

    Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors. the Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller

    Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, by Tom Bower
    £11£5
    SHOP NOW

    This was branded as one of the most 'explosive' royal biographies in recent years, detailing the fallout between the monarchy, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

    Spare: by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex

    Bantam
    Spare: by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
    £28£11
    SHOP NOW

    In his best-selling memoir, Prince Harry details his life behind closed doors at the Palace - and his shocking decision to leave it all behind.

    Before he started dating Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was in a relationship with Chelsy Davy for six years, with the former couple parting ways in 2010. However, the pair remained friends and Chelsy a guest at Harry and Meghan's wedding.

    You may like
    • Health freelancer Anna Bartter treating friendship as a wellness habit: at a concert, at a bar, and with friends I Treated Friendship Like a Wellness Habit for Two Months—It Changed My Mental Health More Than I Expected
    • Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    • Two women at the beach, friends spending the day together Trust Me, I'm a Behavioural Scientist—Friendships Are One of the Most Powerful Yet Overlooked Health Tools

    The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service is set for release on 28th August 2025.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Kate Middleton Prince William Prince Harry
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Social Links Navigation
    News Editor

    Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.

    Read more
    Health freelancer Anna Bartter treating friendship as a wellness habit: at a concert, at a bar, and with friends
    Wellbeing I Treated Friendship Like a Wellness Habit for Two Months—It Changed My Mental Health More Than I Expected
    Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street
    Fashion “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
     
     
    Two women at the beach, friends spending the day together
    Wellbeing Trust Me, I'm a Behavioural Scientist—Friendships Are One of the Most Powerful Yet Overlooked Health Tools
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Latest in Royal News
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Colombia
    Royal News Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Had a Secret UK Home in the First Year of Their Marriage
     
     
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Southport
    Royal News Prince William Has Given an Emotional Update on Princess Kate
    The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a state visit by the President of the French Republic in 2025
    Royal News Why Prince William and Princess Kate ‘Won’t Change" Their Minds on the Buckingham Palace Situation
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
     
     
    Eva Omaghomi
    Fashion After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.