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Prince & Princess of Wales

The Duchess of Cambridge’s private secretary resigns after just two years in the role

The Duchess of Cambridge’s right-hand woman has resigned, just two years after taking up the position.

According to the Daily Mail, Catherine Quinn is leaving HRH’s office on the ‘best of terms’ after spending the past couple of years acting as the Duchess’s gatekeeper.

Private secretaries are in charge of managing royal diaries and daily operations, effectively acting as chief-of-staff.

Usually, holders of the position stay on for many years due to the exclusivity of the role, however, Ms Quinn is taking a step back from the demanding job to return to part-time charity work, according to the Mail.

A source said: “Catherine is a thoroughly lovely lady and has achieved a lot working for the duchess. But she simply wants to take a step back and focus again on her charity work.

“Working for the duchess was actually never a job she had ever thought of taking on as she was scaling down her commitments, but then it came up and she couldn’t resist.

“She has done an incredible job but just wants some more time for other interests and feels she has helped the duchess create a solid platform in order to move forward.”

Before taking up the role as private secretary in October 2017, Ms Quinn was head of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

She is also on the board of four organisations; the Royal British Legion, The National Memorial Arboretum, the Met Office and The Charity Commission of England and Wales.

A search for the Duchess of Cambridge’s new private secretary will now get underway.