Exodus of aides in palace shake-up has turned into ‘royal shambles’
BUCKINGHAM Palace is in a state of disarray following a wave of senior resignations and departures, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Queen herself has ordered a shake-up of courtiers at the royal palaces as she prepares for a future in which she allows Prince Charles to take the lead.
But palace sources are concerned that ‘the firm’ has been plunged into uncertainty following last week’s shock resignation of the Queen’s right hand man, Sir Christopher Geidt, as revealed by the Mos, along with several other leading figures.
‘You could described it as a right royal shambles, ’ said one courtier.
Those preparing to leave include Prince Harry’s Private Secretary, Edward Lane Fox, while Prince William’s highly-regarded Private Secretary, Miguel Head is expected to be gone by Christmas
‘Don’t forget that the Queen is still the boss’ Turmoil at Palace as Queen’s right hand man to quit
– although his spokesman has denied this.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s Private Secretary, newlymarried Rebecca Deacon has already announced her departure, as has Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Alan Reid. And last week it emerged that a second aide to the Queen, Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary, has tendered her resignation.
The shake-up comes at a key time for the Royal Household, as the Queen, 91, and Prince Philip, 96, step back from frontline duties, leaving younger royals to take up the slack – or Operation Handover, as it is known.
The shake-up is also seen as a response to the increasingly chaotic rivalry between the separate households – Kensington Palace, run by the young royals, Clarence House, home to Charles and Buckingham Palace itself. Consultation and co-ordination are felt to be in short supply.
There was, for example, consternation at Harry’s furious attack on the media earlier this year over its coverage of his girlfriend Meghan Markle because it overshadowed – without warning – an official tour of the Middle East by Charles and Camilla. More recently, it is understood that Buckingham Palace courtiers did not feel fully informed over William and Harry’s ITV documentary about Diana, which again generated huge publicity. And there is said to be concern among senior royals that the stream of emotive statements issued by the princes about their mental well-being has got out of hand.
With Sir Christopher falling on his sword, many have been wondering who has been advising Her Majesty on the current changes. ‘Don’t forget that the Queen is still the boss and will always take her own decisions, no matter what the advice,’ said a royal insider.
Moreover, it seems her views have been echoed by Prince Charles. The Queen is said to have been irritated by the running of the junior households and feels that William and Harry have been given poor advice and left exposed to criticism.
It is notable that the one household to remain stable has been Charles’s Clarence House, despite the significant departure of experienced PR expert Kristina Kyriacou. She resigned last year, and was replaced by former BBC PR man Julian Payne. Royal watchers have noted how smoothly the Duchess of Cornwall’s 70th birthday was handled, despite clashing with the anniversary of Diana’s death.
Part of the current uncertainty lies in an earlier but failed attempt to bring the royal households under one umbrella, a plan masterminded by Sir Christopher.
This was most notably played out in the media operation, overseen by Sally Osman, currently Director of Royal Communications and a former Daily Mail reporter. But the plan was held to have been a chaotic failure. Ordered to work under one roof at Buckingham Palace, the various press officers eventually decided to stay put in their respective offices.
Buckingham Palace made no comment last night but a source said it would ‘notify appointments in the appropriate way’.