On August 18, 2025, a fresh wave of royal revelations rippled through the United Kingdom and beyond, as an excerpt from former royal butler Grant Harrold’s forthcoming memoir, The Royal Butler, surfaced in The Telegraph. The passage detailed a previously unreported, off-the-cuff remark by the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, made in the immediate aftermath of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May 2018. According to Harrold, as the newlyweds and their family filed out of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Prince Philip turned to Queen Elizabeth II and quipped, “Thank f*** that’s over.”
The revelation, which comes just weeks before Harrold’s memoir is set to hit bookstores on September 23, 2025, has reignited public curiosity about the inner workings and private moments of the British royal family. The royal household, for its part, has not issued any public comment regarding Harrold’s claim, as reported by Us Weekly. Yet, this alleged moment—equal parts irreverent and human—offers a rare glimpse into the candid personality of Prince Philip, a man whose wit and bluntness were legendary among those who knew him best.
Prince Harry, now 40, and Meghan Markle, now 44, were married in a globally televised ceremony attended by much of Harry’s family, including his grandparents, Philip and Elizabeth. The event, held at the historic St George’s Chapel, was notable not only for its pageantry but also for the mix of tradition and modernity that Harry and Meghan brought to the royal fold. Prince Philip’s presence at the wedding was itself a testament to his determination; just six weeks earlier, he had undergone hip surgery, but he was adamant about attending, according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward. “He was very welcoming to Meghan because, of course, she was a newcomer and a very different newcomer,” Seward told Us Weekly in 2021. “He didn’t see very much of Meghan at all [and] he didn’t really have a chance to form a relationship with her.”
Seward recounted that Philip’s attendance was a clear example of his resolve: “[It] is a really good example of him being absolutely determined that whatever happened, he was gonna walk down that aisle at the wedding and take his seat.” This characteristic stubbornness and sense of duty were hallmarks of Philip’s long life in service to the monarchy. Despite his advancing age and recent surgery, he was not about to miss the marriage of his grandson, even if, as Harrold alleges, he was relieved when the formalities concluded.
Less than two years after the wedding, Harry and Meghan made the momentous decision to step back from their roles as senior working royals, relocating to California and setting off a period of intense scrutiny and speculation about the future of the royal family. The move, sometimes dubbed “Megxit” by the press, led to the withdrawal of Harry’s honorary military patronages, which were returned to Queen Elizabeth II in February 2021. This transition marked a significant shift in Harry’s public and private life, severing formal ties but not the deeply personal connections to his family and heritage.
Prince Philip’s death in April 2021 at the age of 99 was a somber milestone for the family and the nation. Harry returned to the UK alone for the funeral, as Meghan, then pregnant with their daughter Lilibet, remained in the United States. The funeral brought together Harry, his estranged brother Prince William, and their father, now King Charles III, for a reunion that was as emotionally charged as it was brief. In the 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries, Harry reflected on the difficulty of those days: “It was hard, especially spending time, having chats with my brother and my father, who just, you know, were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation. None of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather’s funeral, but we did. I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology.”
Harry’s memoir, Spare, later described his argument with William at the time as feeling more like a “duel” than a discussion, and the rift between the brothers has, by all accounts, persisted. The family reunited again at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, following her death at 96. Each of these moments has underscored the complexity of family ties within the House of Windsor—where public duty and private emotion are in constant, sometimes uncomfortable, interplay.
Yet, even amid these tensions, Harry has continued to honor his grandfather’s legacy. On August 15, 2025, he marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Pacific during World War II by asking a friend to lay a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum. The gesture, timed to take place after King Charles III and Queen Camilla had left the official commemorations, was accompanied by a typed letter bearing Harry’s seal. In it, Harry saluted the “courage” and “resilience” of the ‘Forgotten Army’ and dedicated a heartfelt paragraph to Prince Philip. As shared by GB News, Harry wrote, “For me, this anniversary carries an added layer of meaning. My late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific campaign. He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him in that theatre of war.”
Prince Philip’s military service was, indeed, distinguished. Joining the Royal Navy in 1939, he served in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters. By the end of the war, Philip was second in command on a destroyer in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945. Harry’s letter continued, “Today, as I think of him, I think also of each of you, of the shared hardships, the bonds forged, and the legacy you leave. I am humbled by your example, proud of your service and dedication, and profoundly grateful for what you endured. Your story is part of our shared heritage, and it must never be forgotten.”
Harry’s own military background—ten years of service, including two tours in Afghanistan—has long shaped his public persona. In 2014, he founded the Invictus Games, a sporting event for veterans and wounded service members, further cementing his commitment to honoring military sacrifice. After stepping back from royal duties, Harry’s honorary military roles were removed, but his respect for the armed forces and for his grandfather’s generation remains undiminished.
In the wake of Prince Philip’s death, Harry paid tribute to his grandfather’s wit and charm in a statement on the Archewell website, calling him “a seriously sharp wit” and “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.” For Harry, Philip was not just a public figure but a beloved grandfather—a sentiment echoed in every public remembrance since.
As the world awaits the release of The Royal Butler and continues to reflect on the Windsor family’s public and private dramas, these recent revelations and commemorations remind us that behind the pomp and protocol, the royals are, in many ways, just as complicated and human as the rest of us.
