Queen had a ‘plan’ in place for Prince William and Kate

Queen Elizabeth II had a ‘plan’ for Prince William and Kate’s journey towards the throne, a former royal butler has said. The Prince and Princess of Wales have been taking more prominent royal roles in recent years, becoming two of the most senior members of the Firm after the Queen died.Grant Harrold, former butler to the now-monarch during his time as Prince of Wales, said he believed it ‘was the Queen’s plan’ before her death to prepare Kate and William for their time on the throne.He described the King’s two sons and the now-Princess of Wales as ‘encouraged to have a normal life’ until they stepped up to take on further royal responsibilities.Mr Harrold, speaking with OnlineCasino.ca, said: ‘The thing with William, Kate and Harry when they were younger, they were very much encouraged to have a normal life.’It’s not that long since he gave up his ambulance work and became a full time Royal. It hasn’t been long.’ Queen Elizabeth II had a ‘plan’ for William and Kate’s journey to the throne (Image: Getty) Prince William called his grandmother an ‘extraordinary leader’ (Image: Getty)The Prince of Wales worked as a pilot in the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 until 2017.At the same time, however, the future rulers would observe how the Queen led the monarchy, and ‘train’ for the day they would take their places on the throne.Mr Harrold added: ‘They’ve had a relatively normal life for a long time but they’ve also been on the sidelines watching the Queen.’They’ve been working up to this and had the perfect training.’READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II’s touching handwritten letter to William The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out for a visit to Scarborough on Thursday (Image: Getty)This was precisely what the Queen would have intended, according to Mr Harrold, ensuring the Prince and Princess of Wales would be the ‘best’ leaders they could be when the time came.He said: ‘Going back to what the Queen said, she said it was all in the training and that is exactly what William and Kate have had the opportunity to do.’I’m sure it was the Queen’s plan to make sure they were trained to be the best future King and Queen this country will be able to have going forward.’Shortly after the Queen’s death was announced in September, Prince William issued an emotional tribute to his ‘Grannie’ and her long life of achievements.DON’T MISS: Meghan ally warns of Harry’s bombshell ‘Spare’ memoir’s double meaning [LIVE] Should Prince Harry scrap his memoir? POLL [VOTE] Kate and William to ‘focus’ on cost of living crisis [REPORT] The Prince of Wales worked as a pilot in the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 until 2017 (Image: Getty)He praised his late grandmother as an ‘extraordinary leader’ with a ‘historic reign’.He added: ‘While I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful.’I have had the benefit of The Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade.’Willaim reflected on the benefit Kate had drawn from the Queen’s presence in her life, continuing: ‘My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support.’He said he ‘knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real’.The father-of-three rounded off his statement by saying: “I will honour her memory by supporting my father, the King, in every way I can.’The new King lauded his son and daughter-in-law in their newly-conferred roles, saying Kate and William will “continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given”.