Buckingham Palace, Clarence House & Kensington Palace release rare joint statement

The three royal households, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace, have taken the unusual step of releasing a joint statement following claims that there is an ongoing power-struggle between the houses.

An investigation by The Times newspaper revealed that The Queen’s most senior aide, Sir Christopher Geidt, was forced out of the job by the Prince of Wales in what the paper describes as a ‘power struggle.’

Buckingham Palace and the Prince of Wales are said to be in the midst of a huge row over how best to manage the transition arrangements for when Prince Charles succeeds his mother as Monarch and becomes King.

The Queen’s former Private Secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, left his position in July after complaints by both the Prince of Wales and Duke of York. The Times report that this was the ultimate climax between Buckingham Palace and Clarence Hosue.

The power struggle is thought to revolve around plans to make Prince Charles King, and his staff are keen to increase his royal role significantly by the time he turns 70-years-old next year.

In a rare joint statement, the royal households said: “While we never comment on the confidential employment details of individuals, it was previously announced in July that Sir Christopher Geidt is stepping down after 10 years as private secretary.

“At the time of the announcement, the lord chamberlain paid tribute to the major contribution made by Sir Christopher who, in turn, commended the support offered to Her Majesty by other members of the royal family.

“Indeed, recent years have seen an ever-closer working relationship between all the different royal households and their respective teams.

 “The Prince of Wales and the entire royal family are committed to supporting the Queen in whatever way they can at Her Majesty’s request.
“Beyond that, we are not going to engage with a story based on rumours from unnamed sources.”

Prince Andrew is reported to back his brother in this unprecedented row, helping remove Sir Christopher from his role as Private Secretary in July. Sources say that the sixth-in-line to the throne shares a great dislike to Sir Christopher in the same as his brother does.