Prince Harry reportedly gave a three-word reply when a royal staff member spontaneously referred to him as “mate”.
In his book, ‘Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown’, author Valentine Low explored the roles of those working behind the scenes of the Firm – including the royal aides.
The book revealed that King Charles wished to be referred to as “Your Royal Highness” or “Sir” at Clarence House.
However, former Kensington Palace press secretary Nick Loughran said that Princes William and Harry were less formal than their father.
Ed Perkins, who formerly worked as a royal press secretary, previously shared how he received an unexpected reply when mistakenly addressing the Duke of Sussex in a rather informal tone over text.
He is thought to have been closer to Harry than William – whom he often addressed in a more formal tone – and would refer to the Duke of Sussex typically by his first name.
The book read: “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.'”
Prince Harry stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020. Alongside his wife Meghan Markle, the royal now resides in the US with Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
Mr Low also, in his book, made a series of claims about Harry and Meghan’s time in the Firm – including how the Duke feared becoming “irrelevant”.