But William did see the humour in his thinning hair!

Royal staff were once reportedly told not to “mention the bald patch” when it came to Prince William and his hair, according to a former butler.

According to Grant Harrold, this was a quiet understanding in the royal household!
Royal staff were reportedly told not to comment on Prince William’s thinning hair (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Royal staff told ‘not to comment on Prince William’s hair’

In an extract from his book The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life in Royal Service, reported by InStyle, Grant recalled how William began to lose his hair while still a young man.

He noted that palace staff were informally told not to bring it up. “Don’t mention the bald patch,” became an unspoken rule among those working closely with the future king, according to Grant.

Despite the early signs of hair loss, William didn’t take himself too seriously.
Prince William pictured in 2001 (Credit: Photo by David Hartley/Shutterstock)
Grant remembers one humorous exchange during a visit to Highgrove, King Charles’ country home, where he found himself discussing aging with William and Kate, now the Princess of Wales.

“I said that surely the worst thing about aging was losing your hair and going bald,” Grant said. “Kate started sniggering and William gave me a look that said, ‘Thanks for that.’”

Only afterward did Grant realise that his innocent remark hit closer to home than intended.

“It hadn’t occurred to me that, of course, by then he was starting to lose his hair,” he admitted. Still, he said, William “always took any comments, intended or otherwise, in good humour”.
The Prince of Wales began losing hair at a young age (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Royals work ‘incredibly hard’

While royal headlines often focus on drama and scandal, Grant has insisted that most of his years in service were filled with laughter.

Speaking to InStyle, he said the public rarely sees the “humorous side” of royal life.

“There was laughter, there were jokes,” he recalled. “If they did a comedy show in the royal family, it’d be a hit.”

Grant wants his book to show the fuller picture: “Everyone over the years has talked about the issues, the problems, the bullying or upsets. Why are they not talking about the 95 percent of the time we’re all killing ourselves laughing?”

Still, Grant doesn’t gloss over the hard work behind the palace gates. “[They’re] very hardworking,” he said, pointing to then-Prince Charles’ tireless schedule.

He added: “He’d be up before me and he’d go to bed after me, and he’d still be working.”
Grant also commented on William’s mood following his reported brief split from Kate, noting that the prince appeared “quiet” and “withdrawn” (Credit: SplashNews.com)

William seemed ‘withdrawn’ after brief ‘split’ with Kate Middleton

Meanwhile, Grant also reflected on the subtle signs that Prince William was quietly struggling during his reported brief split from Kate Middleton in 2007. He described a noticeable shift in the prince’s behavior during that period.

Grant recalled that William’s usual demeanor faded during their time apart. “He wasn’t himself 100%,” Grant told InStyle, adding that the prince grew “very quiet” and seemed “a little withdrawn”.

However, Grant had a strong sense that Kate and William were meant to be. “Kate was always the one,” he said.

Royal Insider has contacted reps for the Prince of Wales.

Read more: Prince William’s heartbreaking confession after walking behind Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II’s coffins