Former Royal Butler Praises Princess Kate's Blonde Makeover and Resilience

Grant Harrold, who once served as a royal butler, has expressed his approval of Princess Kate Middleton's recent shift to blonde hair.

“She appears stunning,” Harrold shared in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, coinciding with the promotion of his forthcoming memoir, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service. He added, “Throughout the years, she hasn't drastically transformed her image, but rather made subtle adjustments.”

Harrold's comments naturally pertained to the 43-year-old Princess Kate, who had unveiled a refreshed appearance during a recent public appearance alongside her husband, Prince William.

“She is lovely. She has endured an incredibly challenging period. Why shouldn't she indulge herself? She’s unafraid to do so,” Harrold further elaborated, referencing Kate’s battle with cancer in the previous year. He expressed dismay, saying, “It's quite disheartening when individuals remark, ‘Oh, she's dyed it because she's unwell. Oh, it’s a wig.’ My thought is, ‘Just leave her be.’”

Following her appearance with the updated hairstyle on Thursday, September 4, certain online commentators shared uncharitable remarks regarding Kate’s look. Even Sam McKnight, who previously styled Princess Diana’s hair, criticized these detractors on his Instagram Story.

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Harrold advised Us that admirers ought to “welcome” this evolving phase of Kate’s public image.

“She has experienced an exceptionally difficult period,” he further stated. “She’s endeavoring to feel well, and she’s striving to present herself beautifully.”

For an extended period, Harrold served as King Charles III’s butler, affording him considerable familiarity with the inner workings of the royal family. While Kate’s hairstyle currently captures public interest, Harrold recounted in his book a “discussion concerning aging” — which subsequently brought up the subject of William’s well-known receding hairline.

“I posited that undoubtedly the most unfortunate aspect of growing older was hair loss and baldness,” Harrold documented in his memoir, as per an extract acquired by Us. “Kate began to chuckle, and William shot me a look, remarking, ‘Thanks for that.’ It had not struck me that, by then, his hair was, of course, already thinning.”

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Harrold informed Us that among the household staff, “no one ever discussed” William’s thinning hair.

“Naturally, I blundered and, in the kitchen, remarked that the most undesirable aspect of aging was becoming bald, completely oblivious to my words. Kate burst into laughter,” he recounted. “No one provided a manual dictating, ‘You cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ It was simply an unspoken convention. You simply understood not to bring up such a topic. That was the extent of it.”

The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service is scheduled for publication on Tuesday, September 23.