The three royal households Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace have released a joint statement, denying claims by The Times newspaper of an internal power struggle between the Prince Charles, the Queen and her private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt. Sources told the paper that Sir Christopher - who announced his resignation in July after ten years in the post - was stepping down after complaints from Charles and the Duke of York concerning the transition of power from the Queen to the Prince of Wales before his 70th birthday.
The Royal households said: "While we never comment on the confidential employment details of individuals, it was previously announced in July that Sir Christopher Geidt is stepping down after 10 years as private secretary. At the time of the announcement, the Lord Chamberlain (the Earl Peel, who is head of the Queen's household) paid tribute to the major contribution made by Sir Christopher who, in turn, commended the support offered to Her Majesty by other members of the Royal Family.”
The statement continued: "Indeed, recent years have seen an ever-closer working relationship between all the different Royal Households and their respective teams. The Prince of Wales and the entire Royal Family are committed to supporting the Queen in whatever way they can at Her Majesty's request. Beyond that, we are not going to engage with a story based on rumours from unnamed sources."
Sir Christopher Geidt is due to leave his post 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.
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"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."