LET’S ALL WORK TOGETHER
Queen’s right-hand man tells royals and staff to put their rivalries aside after Philip steps down
The Queen’s right-hand man has issued an extraordinary plea for her family and their staff to put their rivalries aside and support her in the wake of Prince Philip’s retirement.
Private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt, who has worked for the monarch for 14 years, called for the royal households to ‘pull together’ following years of behind- thescenes disputes.
The former Army intelligence officer made his comments during the emergency staff meeting to announce that Philip was stepping down from public engagements on Thursday.
Paying tribute to the ‘wonderful’ job the 95-year-old prince has done over years, Sir Christopher called for a more ‘strategic’ and ‘unified’ approach from the Royal Family and those who work for them.
his comments emerged as Prince William yesterday joined his grandmother at a reception for Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi, signalling that he and other royals will now fill the space left by Philip, who will cease to carry out public duties from autumn.
For decades there has been intense competition between Buckingham Palace and Prince’s Charles’s official base Clarence house over everything from staffing to how engagements are conducted.
Over the last few years, Kensington Palace, home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince harry, has also joined the fray. Charles and the Queen handle their roles very differently – he is far more keen to speak on issues close to his heart, while she is necessarily more circumspect. Meanwhile William, Kate and harry have always tried to push their own causes, independent of anyone else.
Several years ago there was a disastrous attempt – encouraged by Sir Christopher – to merge the royal households’ respective press offices to promote the idea the senior royals were all speaking with one voice
Staff were even moved, at huge expense, into one giant office at Buckingham Palace.
But within months the project was in tatters, with several key players at loggerheads about the way in which royal PR should be handled.
each team returned to their original base, and since then have kept a sometimes uneasy peace.
Yesterday the Mail told how, as a result of Philip’s retirement, other members of the Royal Family – notably the Queen’s children and grandchildren – were being asked to step up to the plate to support her in a new set-up known as ‘Team Windsor’.
This will see them accompany on her more public engagements.
In the first visible sign of the new arrangement, Prince William was, unusually, at the Queen’s side yesterday at a private meeting and lunch for Nobel peace prize winner Miss Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Burma.
Commenting on Sir Christopher’s speech, one palace insider told the Mail: ‘he paid tribute to the wonderful work of the duke and said that as he is no longer at the Queen’s side, all of the members of the Royal Family, their households, basically all of those who work for the institution of the monarchy, need to act collectively in support of the Queen.
‘he made very clear that, on this momentous day, he was speaking on behalf of the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge when he said this.’
The source said there would be no merging of the households – and each would continue to have its own ‘distinct character, role and way of operating’. But they added: ‘There will be occasions when they will be needed to pull together and support the Queen more.’
They also stressed that no-one would be moving office, and that Sir Christopher was making a more ‘general statement of principle’ as to how things should operate now the Queen no longer has the Duke of edinburgh by her side.
‘everyone will retain their own individual characteristics, but this will be a way of ensuring that the principles can step up on more engagements on behalf of or with the Queen,’ they said.
‘ They want to ensure that everything is scheduled sensibly, particularly when it comes to public engagements. It was an opportunity to clarify and amplify what has been happening already.’
‘Strategic and unified approach’ Don’t look so glum, Wills, the job’s yours now