Why Prince William and Princess Kate have hired 16 new staff in the last year

The Prince and Princess of Wales have greatly expanded their team in the last financial year, new royal accounts show.

Kensington Palace said that the number of staff employed by Prince William and Kate's household has risen from 50 to 66, including secondees.

New hires include William's new Private Secretary, Ian Patrick, who started in March, and Kate's new Private Secretary, Tom White , who joined in February.

HELLO! understands that the Prince and Princess have expanded their household in order to support their growing activities.

Between the period of 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, William and Kate have continued to work on major projects, including the Prince's Earthshot Prize and the launch of his homelessness initiative, Homewards , in June 2023.

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While Kate has taken a step back from public duties this year amid her cancer treatment, last year, she and The Centre for Early Childhood hosted the Shaping Us National Symposium , bringing together cross-disciplinary leaders, child and adult specialists, and global thinkers for the first time to consider how we grow, think, and behave throughout life, in order to build resilience for the future.

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It comes after the pair advertised for a new Assistant Private Secretary for Wales & UK, with applicants required to be able to speak conversational Welsh .

New roles

William is adopting a small number of charitable roles to reflect his new responsibilities in Wales and as Duke of Cornwall , but he will not be taking on a huge number of new positions, after the recent Buckingham Palace review of royal patronages, his private secretary Ian Patrick said.

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William has become patron of the Welsh Guards Charity the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association and president of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, and move from president to patron of Fields in Trust, as well as his new patronage of the FA.

Mr Patrick said: "The Prince and Princess of Wales's number one priority is to deliver impact. The approach they take to their charitable endeavours is an evolution of how members of the royal family have worked in the past.

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"Their Royal Highnesses wish to focus their time on a smaller number of causes that are aligned with their values and allow them to build deeper relationships with organisations, engage in a constructive way, and deepen their knowledge of the issues that these organisations champion."

A further patronage announcement is set to be made in the autumn, while Mr Patrick also hinted at an "exciting" new project which William and Kate have personally funded to help improve mental health outcomes in rural communities.

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