Queen Elizabeth succeeded in stopping Prince Charles' former staff from trademarking the title, "The Royal Butler," as she won the legal battle against Grant Harrold.
Reports cited that the court has ruled in the monarch's favor after months of legal proceedings over Harold's trademark application. The Queen's lawyer, Lord Chamberlain, filed an opposition to the trademark, citing that it can be misleading to the public.
Lord Chamberlain stated, in the court papers, that Harrold wasn't given the permission by the Queen or the Cabinet Office to use "royal" in his business. The court agreed that using the trademark might have the public believing that Harrold is still under the employ of the Royal Household. Thus, the U.K. Intellectual Property Office effectively rejected his application.
Harrold was Prince Charles' butler from 2005 to 2011 at his Highgrove estate. He was, previously, employed with the 13th Duke of Bedford. After he quit the Royal Household, he has been a regular TV guest on morning shows, where he dishes out etiquette advice.
The former butler also established a training school that compounds on his knowledge and experience to other aspiring butlers. He called this school The Royal Butler and applied for the trademark.
Harrold claimed that he received a verbal permission from a senior staff in the Royal Household. He was informed that there will be no issue of his use of the informal title so he started using this in his TV appearances in 2014 and, then, subsequently in his training school.
Lord Chamberlain argued that the verbal permission he allegedly received still won't give him the authority to use and trademark "royal." Harrold could not provide any proof of this verbal agreement.
As a result, the former butter will need to pay $3,320 (£2,500) in legal fees for the Royal Household. However, he has yet to change the name of his social media accounts and continue to use The Royal Butler for any media appearances.
According to Nine.Com.Au, this was not the first legal battle for Harrold with the royals. He claimed in an employment tribunal in 2019 that he was forced out of his job and was regarded as a "pariah" by the senior members of the Royal Household.
Harrold, also, claimed that his experience of bullying on the job led to his anxiety diagnosis and panic attacks. He claimed to have been intimated and threatened by his colleagues despite his exemplary service for the royal family.
