The aides, advisers and royal courtiers who work at Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Balmoral are all on call when the royals need them.

Sir Edward Young assists King Charles with royal duties.

Who is Sir Edward Young?

Sir Edward Young is the private secretary to King Charles.

He worked for Queen Elizabeth II for more than 18 years before she died on September 8, 2022.

Born on October 24, 1966, Sir Edward Young was educated as a boarder at Reading School in Berkshire.

Before becoming an advisor to the royals, Sir Edward Young worked for the international side of Barclays Bank between between 1985 and 1997.

He has had executive roles including as a specialist in international trade finance and as manager for the Corporate Bank European Currency Programme.

In 1997 he made the move to Barclays’ Head Office to become the bank’s Deputy Head of Corporate Public Relations.

After leaving his role as the bank’s Deputy Head of Corporate Public Relations, Sir Edward Young became the advisor to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Michael Portillo in 1999.

After that he became the advisor to the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague.

In 2001, he was appointed Head of Communications at Granada plc working primarily on the merger with Carlton Communications which formed ITV PLC in 2004.

It was also in 2004 that Sir Edward Young began as the Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen before being promoted to Deputy Private Secretary in September 2007.

After a decade working as Deputy Private Secretary to Her Majesty, Sir Edward Young was promoted to Private Secretary in 2017 – after Christopher Geidt retired from his role.

When did Sir Edward Young become King Charles’ private secretary?

Following the death of the Queen in 2022, Sir Edward Young now guides King Charles on matters of the state and constitutional issues.

He also works closely with the Government.

What is the role of a private secretary?

As Private Secretary to the Sovereign, he is the senior operational member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom and is responsible for supporting the King in his duties as Head of State.

The Private Secretary also liaises with the Armed Forces, the Church and the many organisations of which Her Majesty is patron.

Young is also Keeper of the Royal Archives and a Trustee of the Royal Collection Trust and has direct control over the Press Office, the office of the Director for Security Liaison, the research, correspondence, anniversaries and records offices.