Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has hired a new private secretary.

Duchess Catherine

Duchess Catherine

The 35-year-old royal suffered a loss to her team when her current private secretary Rebecca Deacon announced she would be stepping down from the position after over a decade of service, but the brunette beauty has now found Rebecca's replacement in the form of Catherine Quinn.

Quinn will start her new role with her royal namesake - who has four-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Princess Charlotte with her husband Prince William - in October, alongside being the Chief Operating Officer and Associate Dean for administration at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School.

Rebecca announced her decision to leave the role in March, after 10 years of service to the royal family, and four years in the private secretary position.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: "After a decade of service to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Rebecca Deacon will be stepping down as private secretary to the Duchess of Cambridge.

"She plans to leave the household in the summer. Their Royal Highnesses are incredibly grateful for all the hard work and support Rebecca has provided over the past ten years and wish her well in the next phase of her career."

Meanwhile, Duchess Catherine's new secretary won't be the only employment change seen this year, as earlier this week Queen Elizabeth's private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt announced he too would be leaving his post, to be replaced by his successor Edward Young.

In a statement, 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."


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