PR to stars gets hardest role yet ... sprinkling gold dust on Charles
SHE is the marketing maestro who made Gary Barlow a star, launched George Michael’s solo career, and rebranded Cheryl Cole as a charity campaigner.
Now Kristina Kyriacou has been appointed the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s communications secretary – making her one of the most important employees in the Royal Household.
The Prince, who last month instigated the most significant reshuffle of staff at the Royal palaces for 20 years, is said to have personally intervened so that the former music industry executive was given the job.
It is a major step up for the glamorous Miss Kyriacou, whose 30-year career is firmly rooted in the entertainment industry where she has worked with Simon Cowell and film director Richard Curtis.
She also has years of experience in the fundraising sector, having spent six-and-a-half years working as head of media and public affairs at Comic Relief. And as the former head of marketing at music company BMG, she launched the singer Bjork’s solo career.
She started working for the Prince of Wales in 2012, taking on the parttime role of assistant communications secretary at Clarence House, where she was responsible for looking after the Prince’s 17 charities.
Affectionately known as ‘The Colonel’ by Barlow, whom she has worked with for 18 years, Kyriacou, 48, who is single, is known for her fierce loyalty to her clients. However, she may have to step back from her other work now she is employed at Clarence House fulltime. Miss Kyriacou will work directly for the Prince and Duchess of Cornwall and she also remains in charge of the Prince’s charitable work as part of a new integrated communications team headed by Sally Osman, now Director of Royal Communications, overseeing all members of the Royal Family.
‘Charles has been very pleased with what Kristina has achieved so far in the job and he didn’t want to lose her,’ says a source.
The news of Miss Kyriacou’s promotion comes just weeks after The Mail on Sunday revealed the new Royal communications team would be based at Buckingham Palace.
Miss Kyriacou has been instrumental in getting the Prince to take part in a number of high-profile documentaries, as well as editing an issue of Country Life magazine to mark his 65th birthday. She was also responsible for the Prince’s debut in BBC1’s Countryfile TV programme.
Unlike the rest of the communications team, who will be based at Buckingham Palace, Miss Kyriacou will head up a new team of her own at Clarence House.
‘Kristina will be working closely with the Prince and she will have a team of about five people,’ said a source. ‘Because she is the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall’s principal point of contact, it makes sense for her to be based at their residence. The Prince is very pleased that Kristina is staying and has made it worth her while.’
Miss Kyriacou’s salary is paid by the Duchy of Cornwall, which funds all the Prince’s public work and private expenditure. A spokesman for Clarence House last night declined to comment.