Queen Elizabeth has hired a new member to her official team following the surprise departure of her current private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt, who resigned from the post.
Sir Christopher, who has been with the palace since 2002, shared a statement explaining his decision.
“It has been my very great privilege to serve the Queen since the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and, especially, as her private secretary for the past decade. In that time, as throughout her reign, Her Majesty’s authority has brought stability, purpose and colour to country and Commonwealth alike.”
The palace household is going through a “shakeup”
“With the Duke of Edinburgh’s recent decision to draw back from public life, the Queen’s own unwavering commitment as sovereign has the full and active support of the entire royal family.”
“It is therefore with every confidence, and with Her Majesty’s agreement, that I now hand over the responsibilities of the Queen’s private secretary to my successor, Edward Young.”
Christopher’s deputy first joined the royal household in 2004.
Sir Christopher has been with the palace since 2002.
His departure comes has been described as a shock, with the Mail on Sunday reporting that a dramatic shake-up is taking place as the Queen and Prince Charles try to impose greater unity on the rival “firms”, or households, of the younger royals.
The 91-year-old and Prince Philip, who retires from royal duty this week, have made no secret that they’re preparing to scale back their work load and hand the baton over to the younger generation.
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Duchess Catherine has also made changes to her team with the hiring of Catherine Quinn as her new private secretary.
Taking over the role from Rebecca Deacon, the new appointment has an impressive resume.
Catherine is currently the chief operating officer and associate dean for administration at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
“After a decade of service to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Rebecca Deacon will be stepping down as private secretary to the Duchess of Cambridge.”
Catherine and her private secretary are so close, the royal has helped secure her wedding venue for her.
