A few days ago, Prince William announced that the next Earthshot Awards ceremony would take place in Cape Town, South Africa. I genuinely winced at the news – poor South Africa, I’m sorry you have to host William’s ego and his busywork. If we’re lucky, William will once again talk about how Africans need to stop having children because their African children are ruining his royal safaris. He’s said sh-t like that multiple times over the years and given his “environmentalist” branding, you know he’s dying to say it again. There’s no mention of whether Kate will come to Cape Town later this year, but I would guess that no matter what happens between now and then, she will absolutely not go.
Speaking of the Kensington Palace clownshow, people seem to have forgotten that William’s private secretary, Jean Christophe Gray, announced he was quitting that bitch last October. Gray did not put a strict time table on his resignation and I think he wanted to stay on until William appointed the keen Kensington Palace CEO. In fact, the “KP CEO” was cited as the reason for Gray’s resignation – he wanted no part of William’s lazy scheme, nor did Gray want to answer to whatever business-world hack hired by William. Well, it looks like William finally found a new private secretary… but there’s still no Top CEO.
The Prince of Wales is to hire a former diplomat who was made an MBE for work on international peacekeeping as his private secretary as he takes on more royal responsibilities. Ian Patrick, who has worked for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and as a geopolitical consultant, will join the Kensington Palace team as part of a restructuring to support the Prince and Princess of Wales.
For some years, the Prince has been taking on an increasingly global role, representing King and country on overseas diplomatic visits and travelling for his Earthshot environmental prize. This week, he has faced questions about stepping up to support his father in the aftermath of the King’s cancer diagnosis. He is understood to be taking on select public duties while the King continues to conduct all essential business of state. On Wednesday, he performed an investiture before making a speech at an air ambulance fundraiser.
Changes to the Kensington Palace team, put in place before the King’s diagnosis, will give the Prince and Princess their own private secretaries, with a newly-created role of chief executive yet to be filled. The Princess is recuperating from abdominal surgery and is not expected to return to work before Easter at the earliest.
Mr Patrick spent eight years in the Foreign Office and worked in international peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina for four years. He is a trustee of the charity Crohns and Colitis UK.
I hope Gray left KP with good recommendations, because lord, did he ever oversee a complete sh-tshow. He tried to babysit William for years and now Gray has left KP in the middle of one of their biggest crises – which says a lot, that Gray didn’t even want to stick around in this moment to see William through to the other side. As for this new guy… he will also have to babysit the heir and it already feels like the wheels have well and truly come off the bus. In one of William’s recent appearances, he was visibly under the influence and dropping things. Buckingham Palace is letting it be known that they’re “bewildered” by William’s recent behavior too. Oh well!
By the way, Kate didn’t have a private secretary from September/October 2022 to present day. In a separate Telegraph story, they reported that “the late Queen’s equerry Lieutenant Colonel Tom White” has basically been appointed as Kate’s private secretary, although that news seems to be flying under the radar, given Kate’s abdominal surgery and absence from public view since Christmas. It really does sound like they just gave this guy an assignment and he probably hasn’t even met Kate.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- DARTMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales smiles during a visit to The Lord High Admiral’s Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College on December 14, 2023 in Dartmouth, England. His Royal Highness attended a training course at the Britannia Royal Naval College in 2008, following on from his father, His Majesty The King and his grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh, who both passed through the college.,Image: 829486195, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- DARTMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks during a visit to The Lord High Admiral’s Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College on December 14, 2023 in Dartmouth, England. His Royal Highness attended a training course at the Britannia Royal Naval College in 2008, following on from his father, His Majesty The King and his grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh, who both passed through the college.,Image: 829486293, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been converted to black and white.), *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- DARTMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks during a visit to The Lord High Admiral’s Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College on December 14, 2023 in Dartmouth, England. His Royal Highness attended a training course at the Britannia Royal Naval College in 2008, following on from his father, His Majesty The King and his grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh, who both passed through the college.,Image: 829486355, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- DARTMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales during a visit to The Lord High Admiral’s Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College on December 14, 2023 in Dartmouth, England. His Royal Highness attended a training course at the Britannia Royal Naval College in 2008, following on from his father, His Majesty The King and his grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh, who both passed through the college.,Image: 829486378, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- London, UK, 07 February 2024: William, Prince of Wales talks with Air Ambulance pilots, doctors and paramedics as he attends the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner at the OWO in central London.,Image: 844429498, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales delivers a speech during the London’s Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner at The OWO in central London, on February 7, 2024.,Image: 844436487, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales (left) drives away from the London Clinic, in central London, where the Princess of Wales is recovering after undergoing successful abdominal surgery. She was admitted to The London Clinic on Tuesday for the planned procedure Featuring: William, Prince Of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 18 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince of Wales, Patron of London’s Air Ambulance Charity, talks with Air Ambulance pilots, doctors and paramedics, at the London’s Air Ambulance charity gala dinner at Raffles London at The OWO, in Horseguards Avenue, London Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Feb 2024 Credit: Daniel Leal/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince of Wales attending the London’ Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner at the OWO Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Feb 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
On the one hand, kind of a cush appointment because you know your workload is LIGHT. However, major downside, you would need to deal with William being incandescent. What’s the old saying? Can’t make a purse out of sow’s ear? Good luck to you, dude.
Is the new secretary the one standing behind PeggySue looking at him with doe eyed adoration in recent pics? Cuz I oof.
The last time William got a secretary we called him Poor Jason. Then Meghan came around and now he’s super famous to the Sussex Squad.
Honestly, I think William and Kate both miss poor Jason😂. He kind of kept them focused, even if it was in a super negative anti-sussex way. They’ve been floundering every since. Although that could just be at the loss of Harry, their worker-bee and scapegoat.
Please, please, please bring Kate. I think she’d be a huge asset in SA. Ahahahahaha.
No, we definitely do not want William in Cape Town.
Although it would be hilarious to see William’s royal convoy trying to drive in CT… We don’t play around here and you need nerves of steel and the patience of a saint to drive these roads 🤣 I love my country and my city.
@MrsMoose, K&W get government security for Earthshot trips. They don’t wait in traffic. There were some articles from Boston how the security closed the roads the public was using and they were pissed off about that.
We’re doing a family safari in Cape Town in mid-September. I hope to God that’s not when he’ll be there!
Lol, I was thinking the same thing! I remember studying in Cape Town when Harry and Meghan came and my friends and I skipped lectures just to catch a glimpse. I live in Joburg now but hope the Cape Townians do us proud and either don’t give him the time of day or jeer.
Have they even committed to saying that Willaim will go?
Most people try to flee a sinking ship. This guy, Ian Patrick, is bizarrely hopping aboard for the disaster. He can’t be very bright.
I’m pretty sure he’s been voluntold to do it by the Tories who are trying to keep their royal stooge on the tracks.
He’s not a Tory though.
Then someone who has power really hates him. No one would choose this, voluntarily.
William and his hangers on control the narrative and don’t listen to qualified professionals. He maintains a pr staff to blame when his antics blow up in his face. He cannot be handled, soothed or controlled and has been so coddled he thinks he can live his entire life throwing his brother to the wolves. Unfortunately, this tactic has worked for generations in the royal family. Harry’s coverage is heartbreaking.
Is this the High Intelligence and Patience with Low Ego appointment they were talking about last year?
Not yet, Lady Digby, they’re still looking – headhunting all over the globe now.
W thought he’d found someone then, disappointingly, they opted to take a roadie job with The Stones instead.
It has just ocurred to me that all reports that Charles indeed does not want William to be pressed to go to work is true, but not because he is caring and wants Kate to be placed first, but rather because William showed to work drunk/hungover and proceded to get cosy with a women at the gala that same night. Say what you will about Charles, but he cares about decorum.
Best of luck to Willy´s new private secretary btw.
He could be befuddled by simply being depressed and not under the influence. I’ve seen that first hand (not Pegs – with people I know.)
I think the woman sitting next to William was co-chair of the fundraiser.
I don’t think Charles wants William to work for 2 reasons:
1. Him being in public will invite people to ask about Kate. They can’t have people asking questions.
2. Charles refuses to allow William to pull focus from his reign more than he already is.
I think there’s an element of jealousy? And this is a generational thing between heirs in the Windsor clan. This was true back during the Hanoverian period, George III and the Prince Regent/George IV, and again between Queen Victoria and Edward VII. Infantilizing the heir has a long and storied history in the BRF.
The late Queen held a certain duties away from Charles for a long time, leaving him to carve out his own busywork schedule that led to him founding his charities. Charles inherited his father’s need for constant activity, but lacked the intellect. I don’t think she trusted him to keep the ship of state sailing, tbh… “Apres moi, le deluge”.
Charles waited his whole adult life to be King, and he doesn’t want to give up the stage to *anyone* now. We know how jealous he is of public attention; we saw it with him vs. Diana, him vs. William and Harry – back when William still had hair and the Rota were covering up his foibles more completely, you could hear CH’s PR team comms seething with the projections of a jealous father.
But yes, adjacent to the Windsor Jealousy Gene that the late Queen, Charles, and William all share, there’s also glaring competency issues. Charles is a HORRID judge of character and surrounds himself with some of the worst people. William is similar. They don’t want staff that seem more intelligent than them; and unfortunately for W’s team, the bar is in hell.
Charles needs to own the fact that William’s current state is of Charles’ own making. He neglected both his sons’ emotional/trauma needs in the aftermath of their mother’s death. And just as Harry was not given help for his dyslexia like Beatrice was by her parents, to make Charles’ heir look more capable by comparison, William I don’t think was given enough supports at school either, for a child who had sustained a massive TBI at the age of 10. Which Charles didn’t even stay around to assist with; he effed off to play polo and flirt with Camilla.
The result is plain; Charles’ legacy in royal life is this heir – a middle aged man who cannot govern himself, or truly show the basest of interest in the world or in the duty before him.
A good deal has been said about “the monster the Rota created”, but a lot of the damage stems from Charles looking after Charles and not his children, except on the most surface of levels.
Still aghast that a “charity” focused on saving the environment basically does a traveling show like a circus every year. The silence on that from the papers is galling.
It’s absolutely unreal, truly, and the fact that the WINNERS aren’t even invited but random celebrities jet on over makes it so much more egregious.
But Kate wore a rented dress one time, so I guess it all evens out! /s
Where are the comments from the press that William can’t keep staff? People talk about Kate being without a Private Secretary but William’s rarely stay beyond their initial contract.
Didn’t KM’s new head staffer quit before she even started early last year?
I posted the comment below in annother blog reg. the Times article about ‘The palace’s bewilderment reg. Willy’s refusal to step up’. This appointment was forced. My take:
Regarding going back to work or not.
Willy’s Private Secretary resigned and he had advertised for a CEO. But that’s not going to happen. It looks like – given Charles’ illnesses, and the fact that Charles, nor any one in Willy’s court, can get him to understand that he urgently needs to step up his game – the government has interfered and has forced it’s way into Willy’s court by appointing a former diplomat to prevent further disasters, and to try to get him to do some work and diplomatic heir training.
Well, let’s see how incandedant Willy will react to a professional in his court and how long this appointment will last.
Interesting.
yea, Will didn’t choose this guy. But it’s not that the gov’t interfered, it’s that there’s been a revolving door between No 10 and KP for years. It’s not interference, it’s cooperation, it’s collusion. This is just another example of the cronyism, and the basic fact that there is zero functional difference or separation between the Tory govt and, if not the entire Firm, then at least Will and KP.
IMO, looks like BP has determined Will is now TOO out of control, like it’s no longer fun for Camilla and Charles to watch Will spiral because they know that if left unchecked he won’t just get burned himself, he’ll burn the whole palace down with him. This is an attempt to rein him in before it’s too late, to catch the mask before it falls entirely to the floor.
It is interference. This guy is not a Tory, but a Lib Democrat. That will make Willy more ”expectable” for his desired outside UK / ‘stateman’ work, i.e. in The commonwealth, Europe. The Brexit govt, need better representation the EU and the Commonwealth .
So, as I said, it was done for the more diplomatic assignments/engagements of the Heir job in mind. How it will workout in the long run and with the Tories in his court of mostly right-wingers, is to be seen.
Thanks for correcting me that he’s a Lib Dem, but that only reinforces my point even further. Will would absolutely never appoint a Lib Dem as his top man, and frankly neither would the current No 10 administration… but Charles would (for Will, not himself).
Think about it – it’s an automatic checks and balances at KP, at least moreso than it would be with another Simon Case in the job doing Will’s bidding (or vice versa). Again, the current Tory admin absolutely doesn’t think “diplomacy to Jamaica” is important, it’s against their entire ethos (or lack theirof). No, I think this is the Firm itself panicking and trying to save Will from himself.
If Willy and Kate don’t want to work and have a staff of 60+, then what does the office part of their staff actually do? At their many homes they are waited on hand and foot. Is everyone else just dreaming up things to leak about the Sussexes? I bet that’s all the new guy does; hello, i’m an insider at KP and let me tell you that William hates his brother, in fact refuses to meet with him and goes into a rage several times a day thinking about how happy Harry is.
Kate, should she back at work by then, will absolutely not go to another predominantly Black nation. Her discomfort would show all over her face and she’d have no control over her body language. This is a bigot who cannot relax around non-white people, not even for her dearly loved photo ops.
KKKhate’s disgust for Black people, coupled with Willy’s disdain for her means she won’t be darkening South Africa’s shores any time soon.
Peggers hates African reproduction. KKKATE hates black people. Why in the hell would SA allow him there because the optics are terrible. He will be surrounded by all yte descendants of Boers who agree with the racism with the odd black person trotted out for PR. If I were a citizen of SA I would protest his visit and if he came would round up everybody so when he walks by we’d give him a line of our backs. It’s time to stop his cosplay.
This is all starting to make sense. So Jean Gray announced he’d be leaving in October? I’d wager his tenure ended with the holidays which… explains a lot. It’s not that someone’s been asleep at the wheel, it’s that they dove out the open car door miles ago with the car still running!
So obviously that KP statement was a hack job – maybe Will called in Jason, maybe it’s just what Gray’s underlings could manage, maybe it’s what he threw together as he ran out the door – and then there’s been basically radio silence on all fronts because there’s nobody in the comms office to communicate and Will certainly isn’t going to be the adult in the room. The only thing we’ve heard consistently is non-stop anti-Harry screeching, which is obviously because Will loves to rant and rave to his favorite rota rats but has no discipline for an actual strategy.
It really says a lot that this dude is leaving even though the RF and particularly KP is in such dire straits right now. Samantha I-forget-her-last-name agreed to stay on after she’d resigned to help Meghan through the wedding and her first few months as a working royal, correct?
Then again, Meghan is no doubt much more pleasant to be around than William, so I actually don’t blame this guy for roadrunnering his way out of there right now in the middle of this mess.
Apparently it is getting harder to find good yes men to oversee his sh*t show.
James Middleton has shown up in the DM today. He’s skiing with his dogs and family… The article is about an Instagram post… up until this point I believed (with zero evidence) that Kate was on a life support machine and we were being slow walked into her death… I know that’s awful & I didn’t want it to be true but the lack of Middleton activity coupled with the King’s transparency is very, very suspicious.
Hmm. “now Gray has left KP in the middle of one of their biggest crises – which says a lot, that Gray didn’t even want to stick around in this moment to see William through to the other side.”
Maybe it’s BECAUSE of William? Maybe he knows what really went down on Dec. 28 and he got so disgusted he quit?
He quit two months prior to that. I think he tenured his resignation in October because it’s been such a total sh*tshow over there, he must’ve seen the writing on the wall and he didn’t want to be the one tasked with cleaning up the mess. (Or, he was angry Will thought hiring a CEO would fix his problems instead of the more reasonable basics like ‘don’t be drunk in public’ Jean probably suggested instead.)
So, I don’t think he “left KP in the middle of one of their biggest crises” – I think he left because he recognized that Will is on a destructive path and is beyond reasoning with. And in his absence KP has been in an absolute tailspin. What happened on 12/28 wasn’t the inciting factor for him quitting, but maybe him quitting caused whatever spiral led to the convoy on 12/28.
And also: Will/Kate/KP are such a disaster (or are willing to die on the hill of terrible ideas amongst which hiring a CEO at the palace is a crowning achievement) that Will’s secretary quits, this furthers Will’s downward spiral and he goes (and apparently stays) on a bender, and this environment either causes Kate’s injury or illness OR causes her to truly be scared for herself and the children and so they’re hiding out until someone can get Will under control. IDK, it all fits to me.
It could have been that there were many other, more minor incidents prior to December 28th, but they didn’t do as much damage, and so the 28th was the last straw for Gray?
If that’s the case, I think it’s gross because it makes it appear that he was fine with…whatever was happening to Kate, as long as it could be covered up.
And @Sunday, that’s a good point— flip it around, and it could have been his leaving that triggered William to go so out of control. We’ll never know.
But this is all speculation anyway, so who knows.
ETA @Sunday I just saw your last paragraph. I wonder if there IS anyone who can get William under control— I feel like it’s got to be Charles? He needs to grow a damn spine and deal with his son? Obviously now with his cancer diagnosis, things are more complicated, especially since we don’t know what type of cancer it is or what his prognosis is, but I really wonder if there’s anyone who can get through to William or if William needs to hit rock bottom on his own (and publicly).
@Lorelei I don’t think anyone can get Will under control as long as A-list stars like Tom Cruise are still willing to be photographed alongside him and give him relevancy, attention, and glitzy star power.
I think Charles thought that immediately making Will PoW would motivate him to step up (or at least box him in, giving him no choice but to work/succeed), and I think that was the absolute worst move he could have made. He should’ve held that title (and the Duchy money, which is what Will really cares about) above Will’s head – that’s the sort of incentive someone like Will would understand. Now, Will has everything he’s “owed”, except Charles’ title and Harry’s popularity. The only chance of ever getting him under control is to make him believe that one of those two things was in danger of disappearing forever. IMO, the only way to achieve that is rampant public mockery/humiliation, but with a rabid press pack in his corner that’s very difficult to break through.
@Sunday, William became the Duke of Cornwall when QEII died. The money goes with that title and Charles had no ability to withhold it. Just like Archie and Lily’s prince and princess titles, it’s automatic. He could have withheld the PoW title, but he lost his financial control over William the instant the queen died.
Increasing global role? Like the Tartan Tour and Jamaican Disaster? Like the environmental awards that didn’t invite the award winners? Like his many embarrassments surrounding sporting events?
And William’s increased workload? The workload Charles doesn’t want him to do and he refuses to do?
Maybe this new guy can take over the school run, too.
They have been crying about the increased workload since the Sussexes left. Yet they remain the laziest royals in history so go figure. They are the best self-pitying martyrs though.
Maybe this new guy can take over the school run, too!!
@Eurydice LOL nominated for comment of the day!
LMAO!!! Eurydice FTW.
Oscar Wilde quote from a play? The silliest woman can manage an intelligent man but it needs a clever woman to manage a fool.
I feel sorry for anybody professional attempting to work with Will who overestimates his own intelligence and judgement whilst resenting good advice. Very difficult to guide an obstinate fool who doesn’t want to do the core elements of his job?
Did anyone notice that the new guy works with an org dedicated to Crohns and Colitis? Those are both reasons Kate could have needed major surgery, and wouldn’t want to be seen for a while after because an ostomy bag takes a while to get used to. Eventually it would be easily hidden by clothing, but now she would have a huge opening to heal and a new stoma.
Yes, MildlyNerdy, me too!
“Mr Patrick spent eight years in the Foreign Office and worked in international peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina for four years. He is a trustee of the charity Crohns and Colitis UK.”
The charity and his diplomatic credentials jumped out at me.
Well, that’s no reason she couldn’t take a photo from the bust up. It doesn’t really make sense.
😂😂😂😂😂😂An M. B. E for peacekeeping, ohhhh Billy tell us your a rage monster, without telling us your a rage monster. IF Kate comes back, and it’s a BIG IF, will he resume his peace keeping duties because with this lazy bsd as a boss, the poor bloke will spend all his time sending out “sorry the prince is unavailable on that date” letters.
And as for going to south africa WHY (saving the planet????? can’t stand in the way of Willie’s world travels and vanity)
Why can’t he just announce where earthsht will be, or is this another AFRICA IS MINE HARRY moment, especially because of Harry’s new post at African Parks!
Honestly, William is so shallow he can’t even double as a bird bath.
Wherever Harry goes, William will follow. Whatever Meghan wears, Kate will copy. That’s it in a nutshell.