Prince Harry's aide accidentally called him 'mate' - and he had surprise three-word reaction

Prince Harry gave a surprising three-word reply when an aide accidentally called him "mate", a royal book has revealed.

Since moving to the US four years ago, both he and wife Meghan Markle have earned a reputation for having a high staff turnover at their Archewell organisation. And in recent days a war of words has broken out with some being highly critical of the couple while working for them, while other saying they have only had positive experiences.

However, in a book released several years ago, two of Harry's former aides who worked with him while he was still a working royal spoke out. The book called Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, by Valentine Low, examines the roles of those who work for the Royal Household and how they help to shape the monarchy. It also looks at the relationships between the royals and their staff and in one section reveals the "subtle variations" between what those working for the royals call their principals.

According to the book, King Charles' staff at Clarence House would use formal greetings such as "Your Royal Highness" (before he ascended to the throne) and "Sir". However, one former press secretary at Kensington Palace Nick Loughran revealed he would be less formal when he was working for Prince William and Harry. While another, Ed Perkins, told how he once got a surprising reply from Harry after making a mishap when addressing him via text.

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The book reads: "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.’"

Harry will be in the UK tomorrow
(Image: Getty Images)

Tomorrow, Harry is set to make a rare appearance back in the UK with an appearance at the WellChild Awards. He has been a patron of the awards for many years and almost always attends its annual awards ceremony. Meanwhile, he will also shortly make his first trip in more than six years to the African nation where he established his first major charitable project.

Harry will travel to Lesotho early next month for a gathering of business leaders, philanthropists and local stakeholders, aimed at driving forward the work of his youth-focused charity Sentebale, supporting the digital and economic inclusion of the next generation.

Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, who co-founded Sentebale with Harry almost 20 years ago, said it would fill the community with joy to welcome back Mohale – Harry's affectionate Sesotho royal name which means "warrior".

The duke said: "As we head towards our 20th anniversary, our ambition has grown, giving us the confidence to bring our skills and experience in designing solutions with young people, and to leveraging our convening power to engage with leading regional players and global funders so we can add Sentebale's voice to addressing the challenges faced by the next generation in southern Africa."

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