Prince Harry Used to Have His Birthday Parties in a Secret Room; So How Will He Celebrate This Year?
With Prince Harry‘s 42nd birthday on Sept. 15, some fans are wondering how he will celebrate the day now that he is back in the U.K. Well, someone who used to work for the royals has an idea of what the Duke of Sussex will do for his big day this year and is revealing how the prince celebrated his birthday in years past.
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the monarch, his duties also included valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. He looked after Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry as well whenever they stayed at Highgrove House.
Since leaving the royal household, Harrold has become one of the U.K.’s leading etiquette experts. In 2025, he published his first book, The Royal Butler, which became an Amazon bestseller. He regularly appears on TV offering royal commentary on both current and historic news stories.
Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino about the prince’s past birthdays, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “We used to always set up birthday parties in The Orchard Room in Highgrove for Prince Harry. He would invite his friends over for his birthday. But my involvement was making sure the barbecues were set up and that there was enough food. Then we just left them to it.
“There was also a sort of secret den in the basement which they called ‘Club H.’ There would be parties down there too, but as Harry got older he moved his birthday parties to the Orchard Room.”
Harrold explained that this year, “as a non-working royal, Harry doesn’t have the packed diary his relatives do — so he will be able to spend his birthday as he likes. In the past on his birthday, he still would have to do something like go and open a factory and cut the ribbons, or something like that. Now, he just gets to spend it privately with his friends.
“I can imagine him going out and having a coffee in the morning, catching up with some friends, and having a nice lunch with Meghan. Whatever they do, I’m sure Meghan will make it special.”
“I think 2026 has been a good year for Harry and Meghan for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they’ve kept more of a low profile, which has helped with relations back home … Christmas is not a million miles away, and obviously guests will be getting discussed. It will be interesting to see if he does make an appearance at Balmoral.
“If Harry has another meeting with his father, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, that would be positive. I think Harry’s going to have to focus more on fixing relationships with other family members if he wants to get involved in family things again.”
