How royals will have marked the late Queen Elizabeth’s 98th birthday, according to King Charles’ former butler
A former royal butler has revealed how the royal family would have celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.
Grant Harrol, who worked for Charles and Camilla for seven years and now lives in Gloucestershire, said the firm will honor her in a quiet, personal way.
Queen Elizabeth was buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle in the Royal Vault on September 19, 2022, after her state funeral, and would have turned 98 today.
He speculated that the family will likely use today to reflect on memories and the time they spent with the former monarch.
Mr Harrol revealed that the family are unlikely to do anything in public, but will instead offer a simple toast to Elizabeth at dinner tonight.
Then-Prince Charles, now King, and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, laugh while watching a children’s sack race in Scotland in 2012
Grant Harrol, who worked for Charles and Camilla for seven years and is now based in Gloucestershire, said the firm would today honor her in a personal way
Speaking to Slingo, he said: ‘They won’t do anything publicly. Privately, I have no doubt that they will toast her tonight. I’m sure the day will be dedicated to reflecting on the late Queen.’
Mr Harrol said he can “almost guarantee” the household will leave flowers on her grave to mark what would have been her 98th birthday.
‘If “If you were to go to Windsor Castle, chances are there would be flowers on the grave sent by the relatives,” he said.
‘Sometimes flowers are sent to royal graves on royal anniversaries. It is entirely possible that there are flowers on the gravestone.
‘There will also be well-wishers present that day, who may wish to lay flowers on the grave or in the surrounding area.’
Mr Harrol, who worked for Charles and Camilla between 2004 and 2011, said Queen Elizabeth had a “wonderful sense of humour”, adding that you never knew whether she was serious or joking.
“I often heard about her sense of humor and the fact that sometimes you didn’t know if she meant it or not, and that she had a great sense of humor and sometimes she would catch you off guard,” he said.
Mr Harrol then shared a hilarious anecdote about a time when no one had followed the late Queen to dinner in Scotland one evening.
He said, “I went in to announce the dinner. I went over and walked up to her and nodded my head and said, “Dinner is ready” and there were other guests there.
“She walked out of the room and kind of looked back at the room, but no one else had followed her.
Mr Harrol said the late queen was detail-oriented, “very observant” and “lightened up a room” when she entered it. Above: Elizabeth pictured in June 2022, just months before her death in September that year
“Of course, royal protocol says they should follow suit, or at least they should already be in the dining room and they’re all still in the other room chatting.
“So she ran down the hall and I remember looking and thinking the Queen was running. What should I do?
‘So I started running, well not running because I thought it would be rude to run as a butler, so I kind of trotted into the room and when we got in there she looked around and smiled and I heard the rest of the voice. guests run down the hallway to get in.
‘She looked at me and gave me a wink as if to say, ‘How about that?’ I was like, “oh my god, you’re so cool,” and I loved that. Everyone knew she was like that, and then I found out.”
Mr Harrol paid a sweet tribute to the late queen, saying she was ‘always so polite’ and attentive to detail, adding that she was quick to spot when something had been done wrong.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, who died a year before her, are photographed during Trooping the color in 2016 with Kate, William, Charlotte and George
He said: ‘When they say she lit up a room, you went into the room and you knew she was in the room.
“You walked in and you could see her and she was always so polite, so polite, always smiling and making a joke or comment.
‘Very observant, she noticed every detail. I always got excited when I was on duty and she was there. For me it was brilliant, it was so exciting.
“As for the observant part, if there was a state dinner or a banquet, she would inspect the table.
“You have an army of staff, but she still went around the table to make sure it was done right. She noticed things when something wasn’t right. ‘
Queen Elizabeth II was 96 when she died on September 8, 2022. The announcement shocked the world, with many royal fans flying to London from other countries to pay their respects.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners waited in line for hours, and some even camped out overnight, to see her lie in state at Westminster Hall.
Queen Elizabeth II was 96 when she died on September 8, 2022. Above: Queen Elizabeth II looks at one of her horses in May 2017
Mr Harrol said the royal family would likely leave flowers at her grave to mark the late queen’s birthday
In Britain alone, more than 29 million people watched her funeral, with senior working royals such as Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle putting aside their differences and coming together to say goodbye to their beloved grandmother.
Queen Elizabeth is remembered for her poise and dedication to the role of queen during her 70-year reign.
On her 21st birthday in 1947, Elizabeth toured South Africa with her parents and younger sister and gave a speech dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth.
She said, “I declare before all of you that my entire life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial Family to which we all belong.”
Queen Elizabeth has had 15 prime ministers in her time, including Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, who announced her resignation after just 44 days in office.