Prince William and Catherine are facing a shake-up in their staff as it has been reported that William's 'closest aide' has handed in his notice.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are facing a new challenge with their staff as a royal correspondent has revealed that Prince William's closest aide who helped him transition into his Prince of Wales role, has handed in his notice. Roya Nikkah, a royal correspondent for The Times, revealed that Jean-Christophe Gray - who previously worked as David Cameron's spokesperson - will leave the palace in the spring and plans to return to work for the government.
Jean-Christophe, who is reportedly affectionately called JC, advised the Prince on a number of his current projects, including, to name a few, the Earthshot environmental prize, and the Homewards initiative to end homelessness.
The Prince of Wales and his private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, are to part company as William and Kate restructure their household with a new CEO. They have also appointed a new COO, Sean Carney, who joined Kensington Palace this month from Telemos Capital @thetimes 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/vpTeivLEv7October 8, 2023
It was recently revealed that the Prince and Princess of Wales were on the hunt for a Chief Executive Officer to join their team of Kensington Palace staff, with a job advert shared by Odgers Berndtson, a UK recruitment firm. At the time it was considered that Kate Middleton and Prince William's big decision showed they were 'taking control' of their lives within the new monarchy, and set to take their own path.
In the advert, the royal couple specified that they were looking for someone with the right personality, and not just the correct background. The advert specified that the new CEO would need to be "emotionally intelligent, with 'low ego', and strong self-awareness and understanding of their impact on others."
The royal expert speculated that this recent change in staffing could be attributed to the advert placed by the Prince and Princess last month.
Roya explained, "Previously, William's private secretary was the most senior member of the team." She added that a source suggested this displacement by a new CEO may have been what ruffled feathers for the aide. "Having a CEO placed above you isn't an optimal job scenario if you are JC and your title is no longer head of the household." The palace has refused to comment on matters concerning staffing so it is unclear how this major change has affected the Prince and Princess of Wales and their plans for their household.
