Prince Harry is still a counsellor of state but is not being involved in discussions about succession plans, King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold has claimed

Prince Harry is being left out of succession discussions because the Royal Family no longer trusts him, according to King Charles’ former butler.

The monarch is said to have started putting plans in place for the future of the monarchy after his cancer diagnosis but it is claimed the Duke of Sussex is being kept out of these “highly secret” discussions.

Grant Harrold, who worked for the King for seven years when he was Prince of Wales, said “it doesn’t make sense” why Harry would not be kept in the loop since he still is a counsellor of state.

Meanwhile, Harry’s brother, Prince William, who is heir to the throne, is said to be “at the heart” of the monarch’s succession plans. Mr Harrold said: “Harry is still [a] counsellor of state and privy to top-secret information because technically he is able to step in for the king, so it doesn’t make sense why he wouldn’t be kept in the loop. If he wasn’t still counsellor of state then that would be a very different matter.”

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King Charles and Harry at Windsor Castle on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022
King Charles and Harry at Windsor Castle on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022 (
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Getty Images)
Speaking to the New York Post on behalf of Slingo, the former butler said: “The king has or definitely had a close relationship with Harry — if this is true, I can’t understand why the King wouldn’t want to share his plans. Maybe there’s this feeling not to share following all the documentaries and interviews Harry has done. However, his recent meeting with the King, Harry hasn’t shared details of that.”

Last week, royal expert and author Tom Quinn told us that distrust in Harry seems to have come about following Harry’s media interviews and attacks on the Royal Family in his debut memoir, Spare. Tom told us: “Charles is also aware that, as future king, William is at the heart of the succession planning that is taking place right now – officials had assumed Charles would remain healthy at least into his mid-eighties before succession planning would need to begin but in fact it has now begun and indicates perhaps that Charles’ cancer is more dangerous than we have been led to believe.

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“Succession planning is highly secret and no one trusts Harry to be part of it for the simple reason that if he feels in any way slighted or not given what he feels he deserves he will run straight to the media.” Harry caused a stir when he released Spare as he hit out at a number of his family members.

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In the book, he opened up about his turbulent relationship with his brother Prince William, and also hit out at his father. Harry also issued a number of royal attacks in his Netflix docuseries with Meghan Markle.

Tom’s comments come amid claims Harry is willing to help the Royal Family following his father’s diagnosis. The Duke of Sussex has confirmed he has some UK trips planned in the near future after paying a brief visit to his father earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Harry is set to appeal against a High Court ruling dismissing his challenge over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK, a spokesman has said. Harry took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (wearing the regimental tie of the Household Division) and Prince Harry (also wearing the regimental tie of the Household Division along with his Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order ‘KCVO’ medal on a ribbon around his neck)
Brothers Prince William and Prince Harry (
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getty)
Ravec’s decision came as a result of a change in the duke’s “status” after he stopped being a “full-time working member of the royal family”, a judge was told. In a judgment on Wednesday, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke’s case and concluded Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.

A legal spokesman for Harry said after the ruling that he will appeal, adding: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy. In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis.

“The duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis. The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing.”