The Prince and Princess of Wales ramping up their PR operations at Kensington Palace – in a sign that Kate may be getting ready to take on more royal duties soon.
The royal couple, both 42, are currently hiring a new senior communications officer, who will help them work in the UK, along with overseas tours.
Although the job is based at the Palace in central London, Kate and William are ‘open to discussing flexible working at interview stage’, according to the job advertisement, which has received more than 100 applicants, on LinkedIn.
It’s unclear from the job advertisement whether the hire will be filling a new role created on the communications team; or replacing a previous senior communications officer who has resigned.
The successful candidate will also be required to work from and travel to other royal residences, such as Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle.
The position is full-time, Monday to Friday, but the applicant will be required to participate in the out-of-hours rota, handling enquiries from the media
However, the candidate will also be expected to have good knowledge of creating social media content and be able to write press releases for the media.
The job description states that the Palace is looking for someone who can plan and deliver ‘creative’ and ‘integrated’ communications activity that ‘connects the work of The Prince and Princess to a wide external audience’.
It read: ‘This role will be part of a multi-disciplinary team working together to communicate the work of The Prince and Princess.
‘The successful candidate will lead on communications plans for Their Royal Highnesses’ engagements and support on the delivery of communications strategies to promote their key projects.
‘The role will also involve responding to media enquiries on matters related to The Prince and Princess and their family.’
Some of the essential criteria includes ‘handling sensitive information with tact and discretion at all times’ and being able to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
The position is full-time, Monday to Friday, but the applicant will be required to participate in the out-of-hours rota, handling enquiries from the media.
The job was posted on LinkedIn two days ago and already has more than 100 applicants. However, they are no longer accepting CVs.
It comes after a difficult year for the Wales family as mother-of-three Kate has been undergoing cancer treatment after cancer cells were detected in an abdominal operation she underwent in January. Her diagnosis came just as King Charles announced he was also undergoing cancer treatment.
Since she announced her diagnosis to the world in an emotional video in March, the Princess has been undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy and has stepped back from royal duties.
However, the job advertisement for a new communications officer may be a sign that the royal couple is hoping to return to normal soon – in what will be welcome news for fans and the family.
Prince William and Kate Middleton inherited the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales following the late Queen’s death in September 2022 – having previously been the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The couple also used to live in a separate, private wing of Kensington Palace until they moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, in the autumn of 2022
The elected person will also be required to work from and travel to other royal residences, such as Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle
While Buckingham Palace deals with communications for King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Waleses have their own separate office based in Kensington Palace.
The couple also used to live in a separate, private wing of Kensington Palace until they moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, in the autumn of 2022.
It is around 25 miles out of London and was originally made for Queen Adelaide.
Royal fans can even go on tours around parts of Kensington Palace and view the statue of Princess Diana in the gardens that was unveiled by Prince Harry and Prince William in 2021.
In July, the couple were hiring for a new private secretary to organise the royals’ UK engagements.
However they noted that the successful candidate would need to possess a rare skill.
The job specification highlighted that the royal couple were looking for an assistant private secretary who can ideally speak fluent Welsh.
It concluded: ‘Conversational Welsh is essential, and fluent Welsh, both written and spoken, is desirable.’
The job description at the time stressed that there will be a ‘particular focus on Wales’ to ‘maximise’ the couple’s impact.