Kate Middleton Makes Strategic Move Amid Rumors About Her Health Scare
Middleton has hired Lt. Col. Tom White to be her new private secretary.
Kate Middleton may still be recovering from a health scare, but the British Royal just made a strategic move that's sure to help with all the rumors around her situation. PEOPLE reports that Middleton, 42, has hired a new private secretary. Lt. Col. Tom White, who previously served as equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth, will now lead the Princess of Wales' team.
White joined the team at Buckingham Palace in 2020. He previously served with the Royal Marines, according to The Telegraph. In 2009, while serving in Afghanistan at 22, White helped to stop a school bombing by the Taliban. The bombing plans were discovered when soldiers found wires under a classroom door. They defused the bomb before it could be detonated.
The Times:
— Isa (@isaguor) February 22, 2024
( Kensington Palace) has confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Tom White, the Queen’s former equerry, as Kate’s private secretary. pic.twitter.com/4ZEmuATYIm
Middleton previously employed Hannah Cockburn-Logie as her private secretary, from 2020 to 2022. Cockburn-Logie reportedly departed for personal reasons, leaving Middleton without a personal secretary for the past year. Notably, news of White's hiring comes as Middleton has been recovering from surgery.
On Wednesday, January 17, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone a "planned" abdominal surgery at The London Clinic. "The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery," a statement read via X (formerly Twitter). "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate," the statement continued. "She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private. Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share."
The Palace statement concluded: "The Princess of Wales wishes to apologize to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."
Most recently — on Monday, March 4 — paparazzi photographers spotted Middleton for the first time since her abdominal surgery. The mother of three was seated in the passenger seat of a black SUV, as her mother, Carole Middleton, drove the vehicle near Windsor Castle. At this time, Middleton has not made any personal statements about her health situation.