Denise Scott Rushed to Hospital After Drinking Hand Sanitizer During Cancer Battle
Denise Scott has revealed how she accidentally drank hand sanitiser on the set of her ABC sitcom, Mother And Son. The beloved Australian…
Prince William has suspended his bid to find a chief executive to overhaul his Kensington Palace office.
The search was announced last September amid suggestions that the Prince wanted a ‘revolutionary’ restructure to make his and Kate’s household more corporate.
Headhunters Odgers Berndtson had been charged with finding dynamic candidates who were ’emotionally intelligent, with ‘low ego’ [and] strong self-awareness’.
But eight months on, the ambition has fallen flat and the search has been called off, despite a source saying that the lack of a strong leader and ‘all-seeing eye’ has left the couple’s office ‘rudderless’ at a time when the Princess is also dealing with her cancer diagnosis.
Prince William has halted his search to find a new chief executive for his Kensington Palace office
Traditionally, Royal households have been led by a ferocious private secretary, often an ex-Army officer.
In the late Queen’s early reign, this role was filled by the legendary Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, portrayed as a curmudgeonly enforcer in Netflix’s The Crown, and known as ‘the snake who saved the monarchy’.
A source tells me: ‘The Waleses need their Tommy Lascelles. The CEO appointment was meant to have been finished by now. They are rudderless without one.’
William and Kate have two new private secretaries – Lieutenant-Colonel Tom White and former diplomat Ian Patrick – but they are still learning the ropes and were intended to report to the new CEO.
The source added: ‘There’s the sense the King’s team feels quite solid – his private secretary Clive Alderton has an iron grip on things – whereas it doesn’t seem as clear at Kensington Palace. Their household seems less sure-footed.’
William and Kate have two new private secretaries – Lieutenant-Colonel Tom White and former diplomat Ian Patrick. Both will report to the new chief executive
William’s former private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, announced his resignation after it was first revealed that a CEO was to be appointed, although he insisted the two facts were not linked. It is understood he has now left his office.
There is also said to be a highly charged atmosphere at Kensington Palace’s communications department, which is still reeling from the debacle of Kate’s Photoshopped Mother’s Day photograph.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night: ‘With everything going on, the Royal Household’s focus is on the Princess’s recovery, so no appointment has been made.’
