Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen's private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt has resigned after ten years in the post. Sir Christopher will leave in October and will be replaced by his deputy, Edward Young, who joined the royal household in 2004. In a statement, Sir Christopher said: "It has been my very great privilege to serve the Queen since the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and, especially, as her private secretary for the past decade. In that time, as throughout her reign, Her Majesty's authority has brought stability, purpose and colour to country and Commonwealth alike.
"With the Duke of Edinburgh's recent decision to draw back from public life, the Queen's own unwavering commitment as sovereign has the full and active support of the entire royal family. It is therefore with every confidence, and with Her Majesty's agreement, that I now hand over the responsibilities of the Queen's private secretary to my successor, Edward Young."
Sir Christopher Geidt has resigned after ten years
The resignation will come as a shock to Her Majesty, who has worked with Sir Christopher since 2002. He started his career in the royal household as an assistant private secretary to the Queen. He became deputy private secretary in 2005 and private secretary in 2007.
Sir Christopher's surprise departure is being viewed as the first of a "slew" of personnel changes at senior level in the royal household. The Mail on Sunday reports that a dramatic shake-up is taking place as the Queen and Prince Charles try to impose greater unity on the rival "firms", or households, of the younger royals. It comes as the Queen, 91, and Prince Philip, 96, prepare to scale back official duties and hand responsibility to the younger generation. The Duke of Edinburgh is due to retire on Wednesday.
The resignation will come as a shock to Her Majesty
The report went on to say that "two, maybe three more" senior officials would resign before Christmas. Prince William's private secretary Miguel Head and Prince Harry's private secretary Edward Lane Fox are said to be weighing up their positions.
Meanwhile, Kensington Palace has just announced that the Duchess of Cambridge has hired a new private secretary. Catherine Quinn will take over from Rebecca Priestley, née Deacon, in October. She is currently the chief operating officer and associate dean for administration at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. Catherine has an MBA from the business school, as well as degrees from US and UK universities.