Prince William; Christian Jones.Photo: Ming Yeung/Getty; Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
The team behindPrince WilliamandKate Middletonjust lost a member.
Prince William’s private secretary, Christian Jones, stepped down after just under a year in the role, according toThe Telegraph. The outlet reports Jones is joining private equity group Bridgepoint as a partner, though he’ll continue to advise the Cambridges despite leaving his official position.
After serving asPrince Williamand Kate’s communications secretary, Jones was promoted to the role in March 2020 when William’s previous private secretary, Simon Case, left for a job with the U.K.’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
When Kensington Palace hired Jones in 2018 as deputy communications secretary, he worked for William and Kate as well asPrince HarryandMeghan Markle. This week, he was named as one of the royal aides who could be called to give evidence in Meghan’songoing lawsuitagainst publishers Associated Newspapers. The Duchess of Sussex sued the publishers ofThe Daily on Sundayfor invasion after the newspaper printed extracts of what her lawyers described as a “private and confidential” letter sent to her father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018 — three months after her wedding to Prince Harry.
The news of Jones leaving his role comes just days after another royal team’s shake-up.Prince Charlesand Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s communications secretary of five years, Julian Payne, left Clarence House to join communications firm Edelman, according toThe Daily Mail.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Commonwealth Day Service in the U.K. in March 2020.Shutterstock
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Meghan andPrince Harryrecently expanded their communications team as they prepare to unveil their new foundation. In October, the couple hired Christine Schirmer, who most recently served as Pinterest’s head of communications and previously served as corporate communications manager at Apple. They also added Toya Holness, who previously led communications at the New York City Department of Education, as their new press secretary.
The new Sussex team members joined James Holt, who serves as communications lead in the U.K., and will continue to work with Sunshine Sachs, the Duke and Duchess' international agency of record. Together, the group will oversee the communications strategy for Archewell, future production projects and other personal ventures.
source: people.com
