Prince Harry poached Kate Middleton's and Prince William's communications officer to become Meghan Markle's new assistant
- Meghan Markle now has a personal assistant appointed by the royal family.
- The assistant, Amy Pickerill, has been a senior communications officer for Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince Harry for over a year.
- Pickerill will help onboard Markle and manage her scheduling.
Meghan Markle officially becomes a royal in May, but the perks of the job are already pouring in.
According to a tweet from Daily Mail correspondent Rebecca English, Markle now has access to a royal personal assistant, Amy Pickerill.
For more than a year Pickerill has been a senior communications officer in the press office at Kensington Palace, working closely with Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry. Pickerill will now help Markle with scheduling, briefings, and general public relations as her new assistant private secretary.
The 32-year-old England native has already been spotted out and about with Markle and Prince Harry, often trailing behind the couple and collecting flowers for Markle at official engagements.
According to the Royal Household job listing site, Buckingham Palace is currently hiring another communications officer and a communication assistant, perhaps in an effort to build out Markle's and Prince Harry's public relations team ahead of the royal wedding.
The position for communications officer lists an annual salary of $41,860 (£30,000), depending on experience. It's unknown how much Pickerill is earning since transitioning into Markle's right-hand woman, and whether it's permanent or interim. Before joining the royals, Pickerill spent about five years working in public relations at the Royal Bank of Scotland, according to her LinkedIn page.
Markle's future sister-in-law Middleton was on the hunt for a new secretary last March after her long-time assistant resigned. She later hired Catherine Quinn, the former CEO of Said Business School at Oxford.
Quinn's duties include supporting Middleton at public events (and collecting all the gifts and flowers she receives there), briefing her on upcoming meetings, making statements on her behalf, responding to letters, and organizing her schedule.
The royal family is surprisingly transparent when it comes to hiring. Buckingham Palace maintains a page with all current job openings, which include full-time, temporary, and seasonal positions, for the Queen and other members of the royal family.