Queen Elizabeth is taking legal steps to stop Prince Charles' former butler, Grant Harrold, from using the name "The Royal Butler" for his business, but the Queen's lawyers are blocking the move because they say it's misleading.
Apparently, Harrold established a business that trains butlers. However, Queen Elizabeth's legal team said that Harrold's use of the name "royal," along with the golden crest in the logo, implied that he still works for the royal family.
Harrold worked for Prince Charles from 2004 to 2011. Since leaving the royal household's employ, the former butler has had several TV appearances, where he shares etiquette advice.
Sources told Mirror that Harrold has been calling himself "The Royal Butler" for many years without any objection from Buckingham Palace. There has been speculation that this lawsuit may have something to do with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were also barred from using "royal" in their charitable endeavors as non-working members of the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth told Prince Harry and Meghan that they can no longer use Sussex Royal for their foundation's name when they stepped back from their royal roles on March 31. Thus, Prince Harry and Meghan had to establish a new foundation named Archewell.
Jamie Muir Wood, who represents The Crown and acts on the Queen's behalf, however, said that Harrold also publishes photos of himself standing next to a wax figure of Queen Elizabeth. Wood said that people won't be able to easily distinguish the photos he took at Madame Tussauds.
The Queen's representative argued at the Intellectual Property Hearing on July 21 that, because of these marketing schemes, it will not be hard for Harrold to convince the public. People may think he's teaching butlers on behalf of Queen Elizabeth or that he's representing the royal household in his media appearances.
Harrold's business partner is a niece of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, but Wood also said Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia is not a member of the British royal family. The former butler also didn't get explicit permission from either the Queen or the Cabinet Office for his use of the word "royal."
The legal dispute is expected to be decided within six weeks. But Harrold likens his situation to a TV sitcom that satirizes the royal family. He said the the Queen's estate hasn't called out or sued The Royle Family entertainment series because no one actually thinks it's about Queen Elizabeth and her relatives.
