Prince Harry gave a
surprising three-word reply when an aide accidentally called him
“mate”, a new royal book has revealed.
The book called Courtiers: The
Hidden Power Behind the Crown, by Valentine Low, examines the roles of
those who work for the Royal Household and how they help to shape the monarchy. It
also looks at the relationships between the royals and their staff and in one
section reveals the “subtle variations” between what those working
for the royals call their principals.
According to the book, King
Charles’ staff at Clarence House would use formal greetings such as
“Your Royal Highness” (before he ascended to the throne) and
“Sir”.
However, one former press
secretary at Kensington Palace Nick Loughran revealed he would be less formal
when he was working for Prince William and Harry.
While another, Ed Perkins,
told how he once got a surprising reply from Harry after making a mishap when
addressing him via text.
The book, which is being serialized
in The Times, reads: “When Nick Loughran worked at Kensington Palace
as a press secretary, he would call Harry by his first name, but tended to be
more formal with Prince William because their relationship was not so close.
“Ed Perkins, who also had
a spell as press secretary for the two princes, once accidentally sent a text
to Harry saying, ‘Hello mate’.
“He recalled: ‘I texted
back saying, ‘So sorry, just called you ‘mate.’ I didn’t mean to.’ [Harry] wrote
back saying, ‘Please don’t worry.’”
