It was an announcement that went largely unnoticed amid the obligatory national debate about the New Year’s Honours List.
There, among the gongs, was a second knighthood for the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, awarded, according to the citation, for ‘a new approach to constitutional matters... [and] the preparation for the transition to a change of reign’.
It was a surprising admission. It is widely acknowledged the Queen will never abdicate and the succession is rarely, if ever, talked about in official terms.
But behind the Palace gates, preparations are being made.
And in the clearest sign yet that Her Majesty is getting ready to pass the mantle on to her son, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Prince of Wales is preparing to take control of the Royal Family media operation within weeks.
For the past 20 years, the Queen and her heir have operated separate press offices from Buckingham Palace and Clarence House respectively.
They will now be run from one office at the Palace, with Prince Charles’s head of communications, Sally Osman, at the helm.
There is little doubting the significance of the move, masterminded by Sir Christopher, or the ways in which it will increase Prince Charles’s influence.
The merging of the two offices clearly represents an important change in the way the Monarchy will be run.
One Royal confidante said: ‘This is the first step to bringing Charles to the throne.’
一心盼望当国王的英国王储查尔斯或许终于等到出头之日了！有消息人士透露，英国王室正在忙于人事重组，而查尔斯的手下将担任整个家族的首席新闻官，此举无疑是“为未来继位做准备”。
在过去20年里，白金汉宫和克拉伦斯宫分别有各自的新闻处，但经过这一轮改革，两个独立的新闻机构将合并，并且统一由查尔斯的通讯主管萨利·奥斯曼领导。分析人士认为，这无疑是英国王室运营模式的重大改变。另有一名消息人士透露：“这是将查尔斯带向王位的步。”
