Princess Kate Middleton has been married to husband Prince William for more than a decade, though a former royal butler admitted he thought she would date his brother, Prince Harry, when the couple briefly split.
“They got on so well,” Grant Harrold, who previously worked as a butler to King Charles III, told Us Weekly in an interview published on Saturday, September 6.
Harrold continued, “I remember, when [William] and [Kate] separated — and I think I said this — you know, [Harry] and [Kate] got on so well that I even thought that maybe Harry and her would get together.”
“They were that close. They were best friends, and I wouldn’t have put it past Harry thinking, ‘Well, she’s a pretty girl, My brother didn’t want her. I’ll have her.’ That wouldn’t have surprised me at all,” he said of Kate, 43, and Harry, 40. “So it could have been Harry and Catherine easily, I would have thought. But, you know, thankfully [William] got her back.”
Harrold, who wrote the upcoming book The Royal Butler, went on to emphasize “how close they were.”
William, 43, and Middleton first started dating in 2001 after they met at the University of St. Andrews. The couple broke up in 2007. However, their split didn’t last long as they reconciled in 2008. William and Middleton went on to get engaged in 2010 and wed in 2011.
While Harrold said that Harry could have tried to pursue a romance with Middleton, he ultimately thinks he helped facilitate the reconciliation.
“Harry definitely would have said to his brother, ‘You’re crazy.’ I’m sure. I’m convinced of it,” he told the outlet. “We all thought it, you know. We were all thinking, ‘This is mad.’ Because they were such a good couple together. And you know, when they separated in 2007, you know, we all wanted [them] to get back together. I was thrilled when they did.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kate Middleton and Prince William Show Their Rugby Rivalry with Separate Match Day Appearances
The Princess of Wales is attending the match between England and Australia, while the Prince of Wales is cheering on the game between Wales and Fiji
NEED TO KNOW
- Kate Middleton and Prince William are attending separate matches part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup
- The Princess of Wales is attending the match between England and Australia, while the Prince of Wales is cheering on the game between Wales and Fiji
- Both events take place in different locations in England on Saturday, Sept. 6
Kate Middleton and Prince William both have their game faces on — but for different occasions.
The Princess of Wales and the Prince of Wales, both 43, are attending separate matches part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Kate is set to attend the match between England and Australia at the American Express Stadium in East Sussex, England — where her blonde hair transformation is expected to be on full display.
William, meanwhile, is cheering on the game between Wales and Fiji at the Sandy Park stadium in Exeter, England.
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Kate is a patron of the Rugby Football Union in England, while William serves as the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, which governs the game in Wales.
William’s role is one he has held since 2016. Princess Kate’s patronage is a role she took on in February 2022, in an appointment that marked the first of Prince Harry’s former patronages to be redistributed after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back from their working roles within the royal family.
Kate and William previously attended the Wales vs. England Six Nations Match back in March. The outing marked their first time at a game in years, amid Kate’s treatment for cancer.
Before the match, the Prince and Princess of Wales met with injured players supported by the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust, which William is also the patron of. The royal couple also greeted players and their loved ones at the Sir Tasker Watkins Suite.
Kate and William share a passion for the sport with their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
According to royal editor Roya Nikkah of The Sunday Times, Prince William once said that the rugby rivalry between his family had become “quite the thing in the house,” but he was “trying to stay out of it.”
Up next
Kate Middleton’s Longtime Aide Natasha Archer Splits from Royal Photographer Husband Chris Jackson After Palace Exit: Report
Natasha and Chris married in Mouliets-et-Villemartin, France, in 2017, after meeting while they were both on the job
NEED TO KNOW
- Natasha Archer and Chris Jackson have split after eight years of marriage, according to a report from The Daily Mail
- Their separation comes just weeks after Kate Middleton’s longtime aide departed her role at Kensington Palace
- Natasha and Chris, who married in 2017 after meeting on the job, share two sons
Kate Middleton’s longtime aide Natasha Archer has reportedly split from husband Chris Jackson.
“They haven’t been together for some time. Chris has attended a string of social events on his own,” a friend of the couple told the Daily Mail on Sept. 6.
Chris did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for confirmation of the split on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Natasha, 37, and Chris, 45, married in Mouliets-et-Villemartin, France, in 2017, after meeting on the job.
Their reported split comes after PEOPLE exclusively revealed on July 9 that Natasha was departing her role at Kensington Palace after 15 years of service, to set up her own private consultancy firm.
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Natasha and Chris, a royal photographer for over a decade, were last photographed together during an Easter getaway to Crete, Greece.
“Very special Easter in Crete ☀️ 🐣 Really enjoyed using the camera this week, not a bad spot for it! Massive thanks to our local @simpsontravel for another great recommendation 🇬🇷,” Chris wrote in the caption of an Instagram post, sharing highlights from the trip.
A month prior, Chris marked Mother’s Day in the U.K. — known there as Mothering Sunday — by sharing photos of Natasha, affectionately known as “Tash,” with their two sons.
“Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mother’s out there! ♥️” he captioned the March 30 post.
In Chris’ post as he marked Father’s Day in June, Natasha was notably absent.
He shared several snapshots of himself embracing their sons before they went on a boat trip together, and he appeared to be without his wedding ring in a photo that showed him rowing.
Natasha became a personal assistant to Princess Kate in 2007, and she moved into a styling role in 2014.
Having been honored with the Royal Victorian Order in 2019, Natasha was then promoted to senior private executive assistant to Kate and Prince William in 2022.
The Royal Family is also fond of Chris. King Charles chose him to capture his 20th wedding anniversary portrait with Queen Camilla in Italy earlier this year.