Why Amy Pickerill, Meghan Markle's Top Royal Aide, Is Quitting Her Job With the Duchess
Meghan Markle's personal secretary, Amy Pickerill, is leaving her job with the royal family. Pickerill will reportedly stay on until after Meghan gives birth this spring.

Meghan Markle's (opens in new tab) "right-hand woman," Amy Pickerill (opens in new tab), is quitting her job with the royal family. This, for the record, isn't news. Reports that Pickerill was leaving her position (opens in new tab) with the royal family started circulating last fall. What is news is that we finally know why Pickerill decided to step down as Meghan's private secretary.
The details of Pickerill's exit from her gig with The Firm come courtesy of the Daily Mail's royal correspondent Rebecca English (opens in new tab), who has a reputation for breaking royal news and generally knowing her sh*t when it comes to insider royal intel.
In a series of tweets previewing a report in Saturday's Daily Mail, English revealed new details of Pickerill's exit strategy and the status of her relationship with Meghan (opens in new tab).
"Royals in today’s #DailyMail - The Duchess of Sussex says her baby will be brought up a feminist regardless of gender and Amy Pickerill, her right-hand woman is to leave," English wrote in the first of four tweets (opens in new tab) on the subject. "It’s very amicable. Amy is moving abroad but has agreed to stay on to help following the birth of her baby."
Here's the rest of what English tweeted about Pickerill's decision to leave:
And here are English's tweets, if you prefer to read the hot goss firsthand:
Royals in today’s #DailyMail - The Duchess of Sussex says her baby will be brought up a feminist regardless of gender and Amy Pickerill, her right-hand woman is to leave. It’s very amicable. Amy is moving abroad but has agreed to stay on to help following the birth of her baby. pic.twitter.com/ipzAZ3jn9nMarch 9, 2019
Royals in today’s #DailyMail - The Duchess of Sussex says her baby will be brought up a feminist regardless of gender and Amy Pickerill, her right-hand woman is to leave. It’s very amicable. Amy is moving abroad but has agreed to stay on to help following the birth of her baby. pic.twitter.com/ipzAZ3jn9nMarch 9, 2019
It is understood that Amy told Meghan some time ago. Meghan would have loved to have her stay, but understood.Amy joined the household in 2016 but moved into the private office with a specific view to helping her move over to the UK from Canada.March 9, 2019
She is a very trusted member of staff who has been instrumental in helping her adjust to hew new life here. She was at the forefront of the cookbook project and helped to organise yesterday’s #IWD event.March 9, 2019
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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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