King Charles loses out on royal ranking: 'Without any question'

King Charles doesn’t top the most intelligent royal list of a former butler.

Grant Harrold, who worked for the then-Prince Charles between 2004 and 2011, shared his picks for the three smartest royals during a conversation with online learning platform Study Dog. And while King Charles' intellect earns praise, the late Queen Elizabeth II came out on top.

“The smartest in my mind would have been Queen Elizabeth II,” Harrold said. “And the reason I say that is not just intelligence; she was witty, ruled a country for over 70 years, and knew about sports.”

Charles took second place, with Harrold commending his linguistic skills and academic mind.

“He speaks several languages, but he is also very intelligent with numbers, and his command of the English language is extraordinary,” he said. “He's super intelligent, so if you're talking about the royals now, he'd be top of that pile without any question.”

Rounding out the top three was Princess Anne, who Harrold described as “a knowledgeable lady.”

As for the next generation of royals, i.e., Prince William and Princess Kate’s children, Harrold doesn't think skipping university would be controversial.

“We may find that George, Charlotte, and Louis might not all go to university. They may go straight to somewhere like Sandhurst,” he added.