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The Real Reason Kate Middleton’s Personal Secretary Just Quit


  • Published on
    November 18, 2019

There has been so much attention given to the shakeups on Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s staff –that we often forget to check in with the rest of the British Royal Family. Since she and Prince William first began dating in 2001 — Duchess Kate Middleton has been the picture of poise and regality.

Unlike her sister-in-law, Middleton has played by the royal family rules. Aside from the mania surrounding her life before her marriage to Prince William and during her pregnancies with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — the Duchess of Cambridge has managed to stay in the good grace of the press and the public.

Still, that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t had to deal with her fair share of drama. In Spring 2019 –rumors swirled that Prince William was carrying on an affair with Middleton’s neighbor and good friend, Rose Hanbury. Thankfully, the future Queen regent didn’t let the rumors get to her, and she was able to ride out the insane tabloid wave.

However, news that one her most beloved and longtime staff members just quit might put the duchess in the tabloids once again.

Kate Middleton’s personal secretary abruptly quit

Though she has been the Duchess of Cambridge’s right-hand woman for more than two years –Middleton’s personal secretary, Catherine Quinn just turned in her resignation. Quinn began working with Middleton in October 2017. According to Daily Mail –Quinn helped the duchess plan her schedule, and she often accompanied her to various royal engagements.

Daily Mail is reporting that Quinn was instrumental in helping Middleton with her Early Years initiative. The duchess spearheaded the program, which aims to steer children away from addiction and crime.

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The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the @Natural_History_Museum, visited the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity to hear how it is championing and helping to protect UK wildlife. The Angela Marmont Centre (AMC) is a unique scientific hub located in the Natural History Museum, and is dedicated to the study of the UK’s natural world. The AMC helps public visitors identify their finds, provides vital training in wildlife identification, and leads research and citizen science projects that are helping to transform our understanding of over 80,000 species of wildlife known to exist in the UK today. With populations of many UK species declining, and a significant proportion threatened with local extinction, the AMC brings together a host of individuals and organisations all dedicated to building understanding of the UK’s wildlife, so that it can be better protected for future generations. AMC staff work with colleagues from across the Natural History Museum to carry out a range of scientific research to study how and why the UK’s wildlife is changing. This ranges from applying ground-breaking scientific techniques, including analysis of environmental DNA through to detecting and identify the miniscule insects and microorganisms that play an important role in healthy environments. At the AMC today The Duchess viewed some of the Museum’s specimens and saw DNA sequencing live in action.

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This is the reason Kate Middleton’s private secretary quit

As we can see from the past several years — particularly with Markle’s entry into the family, working with the British Royal Family isn’t an easy feat. After working with one of the most senior royals for two years, it appears that Quinn wanted to slow down a bit.

Middleton’s soon-to-be former secretary is set to leave her role just after the Christmas holiday. Daily Mail suggests that Quinn will return to a previously held part-time job and get involved with some charitable work. An insider told Daily Mail,

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,’ a source said. 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.

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To further her research and engagement with the Early Years sector, The Duchess of Cambridge visited Sunshine House Children and Young People’s Health and Development Centre to meet with the Southwark Family Nurse Partnership team and highlight the valuable work that they do. Swipe to see more about their work: 2-3. The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a voluntary home visiting programme for first-time parents aged 24 and under. Parents are partnered with a specially trained family nurse who visits them regularly, from early pregnancy until their child is two. The Duchess met the team at Sunshine House to discuss the FNP programme and its impact on clients and communities, and hear more about the strategic direction and development of the programme in England. 4-5. The Duchess met mothers who have been through the FNP programme to understand how the programme has helped them and their children. The programme supports young mums to have a healthy pregnancy, improve their child's health and development, and reach their goals and aspirations. Multiple rigorous evaluations show it has a long-term positive impact on child outcomes. FNP is delivered in around 70 areas across England and each local team is made up of specially trained family nurse supervisors, family nurses, and quality support officers. 6-7. FNP in Southwark is delivered by Evelina London, of which The Duchess is Patron. As part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Evelina London is a major children’s hospital and provider of community services. From health visitors and school nurses to specialist treatment for children with long-term health conditions, Evelina London’s community services care for children and families across the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark — thank you to everyone that came out to greet The Duchess of Cambridge today! Kensington Palace / PA

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Kate Middleton is happy for Catherine Quinn

Quinn is not the first royal staff member to resign from Middleton’s staff, nor will she be the last. Though it’s always hard to get someone new adjusted to the job and your particular likes and dislikes — Daily Mail says that Duchess Kate Middleton and Quinn ended things on the “best of terms.”

Knowing how difficult things are for the royal family, they depend on their staff a great deal. No one wants to deal with an unhappy staff member, or someone is completely burnt out. Quinn’s exit allows Middleton to work with someone who might be able to stay in the position for a longer tenure. This person could provide support to Middleton, her family, and her charities for years to come.

We’ll just have to see who steps into the role next.