William and Kate call off hunt for new Palace chief
PRINCE William has suspended his bid to find a chief executive to overhaul his Kensington Palace office.
The search was announced last September amid suggestions that the Prince wanted a ‘revolutionary’ restructure to make his and Kate’s household more corporate.
Headhunters Odgers Berndtson had been charged with finding dynamic candidates who were ‘emotionally intelligent, with “low ego” [and] strong self-awareness’.
But eight months on, the ambition has fallen flat and the search has been called off, despite a source saying that the lack of a strong leader and ‘all-seeing eye’ has left the couple’s office ‘rudderless’ at a time when the Princess is also dealing with her cancer diagnosis.
Traditionally, Royal households have been led by a ferocious private secretary, often an ex-Army officer. In the late Queen’s early reign, this role was filled by the legendary Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, portrayed as a curmudgeonly enforcer in Netflix’s The Crown, and known as ‘the snake who saved the monarchy’.
A source tells me: ‘The Waleses need their Tommy Lascelles. The CEO appointment was meant to have been finished by now. They are rudderless without one.’
William and Kate have two new private secretaries – Lieutenant-Colonel Tom White and former diplomat Ian Patrick – but they are still learning the ropes and were intended to report to the new CEO.
The source added: ‘There’s the sense the King’s team feels quite solid – his private secretary Clive Alderton has an iron grip on things – whereas it doesn’t seem as clear at Kensington Palace. Their household seems less sure-footed.’
William’s former private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, announced his resignation after it was first revealed that a CEO was to be appointed, although he insisted the two facts were not linked. It is understood he has now left his office.
There is also said to be a highly charged atmosphere at Kensington Palace’s communications department, which is still reeling from the debacle of Kate’s Photoshopped Mother’s Day photograph.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night: ‘With everything going on, the Royal Household’s focus is on the Princess’s recovery, so no appointment has been made.’