PRINCE Charles’ former butler says it “made sense” not to mention Meghan and Harry in his Christmas Day speech.
PRINCE Charles’ former butler says it “made sense” not to mention Meghan and Harry in his Christmas Day speech.
The King’s decision not to refer to his son surprised some, but Grant Harrold said it was the wise thing to do.
Speaking to GB News he said: “I like to think it was a sensible move. I think the reality is that for the King, he obviously talked about the Prince and Princess of Wales and their recent visit to Wales, which was a significant moment for the Royal family.
“I think with everything that’s gone on recently, it was probably best not to mention Harry and Meghan. They’re not working into the Royal family so there isn’t any real reason to mention them as such, because they haven’t done anything of significance as working members of the Royal family. So it probably made sense not to mention them, to be honest.”
On the speech as a whole he added; “It was interesting to me. It was quite significant because obviously it’s the first time we’ve had a King do a televised speech on Christmas Day. When he talked about the different faiths and recognised other faiths, that’s something that’s really important to him, so I think that was very notable.”
Charles invoked his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in his first Christmas message to the nation as monarch and spoke of his faith in humanity at a time of “great anxiety and hardship”.
Charles said he shares with his “whole heart” his mother’s faith in God and people. He was speaking from St George’s Chapel, the final resting place of the late Queen and from where Elizabeth delivered a Christmas message in 1999.
“It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others and to shine a light in the world around them,” Charles said.
“And at this time of great anxiety and hardship — be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm — we see it in the humanity of people.”
