Prince William's Private Secretary, Christian Jones, Has Quit After 10 Months in the Role

• Prince William's private secretary, Christian Jones, has quit just under a year after he took up the role in March 2020.
• Jones is leaving to become a partner at a $25 billion private equity firm.
• He was credited with engineering William and Kate Middleton's public presence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looks like the Cambridges might be hiring again: Prince William's private secretary, Christian Jones, has stepped down after just under a year in the role, as the Telegraph reports. Jones took up the position in March 2020, after William's previous private secretary, Simon Case, left to work for British prime minister Boris Johnson.

Jones, who was promoted to private secretary from his previous role as the Cambridges' communications secretary, left to become a partner at the £18 billion (about $25 billion) private equity firm Bridgepoint, where he'll lead corporate affairs. According to the Telegraph, Jones will continue to advise the Cambridges despite leaving his official role.

While you might not be familiar with Jones' name, you've almost certainly seen his work in action: He reportedly played a central role in engineering the Cambridges' public presence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. "A royal insider told the Telegraph, "Whereas Simon [Case] was credited with making the Duke a statesman, Christian has really helped them to steer them through their public-facing role during the pandemic. He’s helped them to grow in confidence by gently pushing them out of their comfort zone."

Another detail about Jones? Before he worked exclusively for the Cambridges, he gave PR advice to both Kate and William and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, after Kensington Palace hired him as deputy communications secretary in December 2018. On Tuesday, he was named as one of four royal aides expected to give evidence in the Duchess of Sussex's lawsuit against publishers Associated Newspapers, who she is suing for breach of privacy over their publication of a letter to her father, Thomas Markle.