A former royal butler has shared exclusive details about a Halloween party hosted by Prince William and Princess Kate in 2009, offering a rare look into their pre-wedding days. Grant Harrold, who served as butler to King Charles when he was Prince of Wales from 2004 to 2011, also looked after William and Kate during his time at Highgrove.
Behind the scenes of the 2009 Halloween party
Speaking to Smooth Spins, Mr Harrold revealed that the couple threw the party at a remote cabin on the estate in Scotland, where they had gone for Halloween. He said: "The younger royals used to go away for Halloween. I used to go up to Scotland with Prince William and Kate. I remember back in 2009 they threw a Halloween party at one of the remote cabins on the estate. One of the other butlers and I kitted it all out for Halloween with cobwebs and spiders."
The former butler noted that the meal was not Halloween-themed, and guests did not wear fancy dress. He explained: "The meal itself wasn't Halloween-themed, but we did the decorations all spooky. They invited a group of their friends over; it wasn't huge, but there were about 12 people there."
Guests and attire
Mr Harrold added: "They didn't do fancy dress; they were all in jeans and shirts - smart casual dress. I don't know if Prince Harry was there, but William always invited his brother to things like this. William and Kate absolutely loved it."
The couple took an active role in the event, with Mr Harrold saying: "The kitchens packed up the food for William and Kate to take down. They took it all down themselves, unpacking and serving it. They then washed it all back up, packed up the boxes and brought it back up to the main house."
