How King Charles "Terrified" a New Butler With Ghost Stories and a Hidden Mannequin

"I couldn't physically stop screaming."

King Charles wears a light suit, and places his hand inside the jacket while leaning on a wall and looking mischievous
(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

King Charles has been known to play pranks on people in his life. For instance, the monarch used a pair of garden shears to play a joke on a rock star, and he once tricked the press by wearing a hilarious disguise. Now, one of King Charles's former butlers has shared how the royal "terrified" him with a statuesque mannequin and suggestive ghost stories.

Grant Harrold, who worked for King Charles between 2005 and 2011, recalled staying at the Castle of Mey in Scotland shortly after starting his role. Speaking to the Express, Harrold shared that some of his colleagues began telling ghost stories about a headless horseman and a gray lady who roamed the castle.

"I go to my room up a spiral staircase and I remember being terrified," Harrold told the outlet. "I felt like they were going to play a practical joke on me as a sort of initiation."

Unfortunately, Harrold was absolutely correct, and his room had been tampered with.

The Castle of Mey in Scotland

The Castle of Mey in Scotland.

(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

"I put the light on and looked in the room and couldn't see anything," Harrold explained. "I looked under the bed, looked behind the curtain, and in the room was an old tower. I opened the door and there was nothing. I turned around and behind the door [was] a six foot mannequin of a man in royal uniform. I screamed. I couldn't physically stop screaming."

King Charles wearing his purple and white fur coronation robe and a crown waving

"Oh dear, actually I was involved. Bloody brilliant wasn't it?'"

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After what must have been a rather tense night, Harrold spoke to King Charles the following morning while serving breakfast. Recalling the conversation, Harrold shared, "[The] King said to me, 'Was everything OK last night?...What happened?'"

Harrold told Charles, "[T]here was a mannequin by my door." Rather than being surprised by the horrifying discovery, The King apparently told him, "Oh dear, actually I was involved. Bloody brilliant, wasn't it?'"

Instead of being angry about the prank, Harrold told the Express, "It shows he's got a bit of a humor about him. That is exactly what he is like. He used to be so much fun and do so many funny things. He knew about [the staff playing pranks] and supported them."

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Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.