King Charles III's former butler has revealed the unusual presents he has received from the royal in the seven years he has worked for him, which included practical kitchen items.
Grant Harrold worked at His Majesty's Gloucestershire home in Highgrove from 2004 to 2011. In all those years, he said he has received gifts that show the royal's cheeky sense of humour. He shared that one time, the monarch "left a tin of salmon" and in another year he "got a salt and pepper grinder wrapped in a ribbon".
He told the Mirror: "He had probably been given a hamper and sometimes there would be a lot in them and he would give some of the bits to us."
The 45-year-old shared that King Charles III chose to leave his gifts for his employees in their lockers' "pigeon holes" where they would usually receive their mail.
He revealed: "We all used to have these pigeon holes where I'd get my post in the mornings and what he used to do at Christmas, he used to leave funny little things... I just thought it was so bizarre because you don't expect those little things. It shows that they've got that fun, practical side to them."
Grant added that the royal household staff also enjoyed receiving Christmas cards from the royals. He said: "At Christmas, we would always get the famous Christmas card. Before he was married to the now Queen Consort, I remember getting Christmas cards from him, William and Harry and that was always quite special."
Aside from the small things put in their lockers, the staff would also receive "actual proper gifts like tea cups and saucers or whiskey glasses". He explained: "What would happen is, for example with the teacups, you would get them maybe two or three years in a row because there would be a whole set to collect."
However, it is not just the royal staff members who receive hilarious during Christmas. The royal family also practice the tradition among each other. They would gather together at Sandringham and exchange gifts on Christmas eve.
According to the book "Finding Freedom," Meghan Markle's gift for Prince William back in Christmas 2017 was a huge hit. She gave him a spoon embossed with "cereal killer" on the shallow bowl end. The book likewise shared that Prince Harry gave Queen Elizabeth II in 2018 a cap emblazoned with the phrase "Ain't life a (expletive)" which she loved. Another time he gave her a Big Mouth Billy Bass singing toy that provided her with great laughs.
Moreover, one time Princess Anne gifted King Charles III a leather toilet. Prince Harry also shared in his memoir "Spare" that Princess Margaret also once gave him a fish biro, which is a ballpoint pen.
Kate Middleton gave him a "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" gift before he was married to Meghan Markle. As for his wife, he shared in his book that she gave him a Christmas ornament of Queen Elizabeth II back in 2020 which he had hung on their Christmas tree.
"Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it. I held it to the light. It was Granny's face to a T. I hung it on an eye-level branch. It made me happy to see her there," he wrote. Unfortunately, Prince Archie bumped into the tree and the ornament fell to the floor and broke into pieces.
King Charles III and the rest of the royal family members have kept the tradition of spending Christmas at Balmoral Castle. Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not spent the holidays with the royals for several years. They spent Christmas in 2019 in Canada and the succeeding years in America.
