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Catherine loses loyal top aide just before new role as Princess of Wales

Hannah Cockburn-Logie - Mark Stewart/Camera Press
Hannah Cockburn-Logie - Mark Stewart/Camera Press

She was her right-hand woman through one of the most turbulent periods of recent royal history.

But just as the Princess of Wales has taken on a new, more senior role within the Royal family, she has lost her loyal private secretary, Hannah Cockburn-Logie.

A fixture at her side for two-and-a-half years, Ms Cockburn-Logie stepped down shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, for personal reasons.

A Kensington Palace source said she would be hugely missed.

“Hannah is a fantastic, dynamic leader. Loyal and a skilled diplomat,” they said.

Ms Cockburn-Logie was hired by the then Duchess of Cambridge in May 2020, having impressed when, as a diplomat working for the British High Commission in India, she led the Duke and Duchess’s tour of India and Bhutan in 2016.

Ms Cockburn-Logie was hired by the then Duchess of Cambridge in May 2020, having impressed when she led the Duke and Duchess’s tour of India and Bhutan in 2016 - Twitter
Ms Cockburn-Logie was hired by the then Duchess of Cambridge in May 2020, having impressed when she led the Duke and Duchess’s tour of India and Bhutan in 2016 - Twitter

She guided the then Duchess throughout the fallout from the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and through lockdown.

She was also at her side during the Caribbean tour earlier this year, which was marred by criticism of “colonial overtones”.

Ms Cockburn-Logie has more than 20 years’ experience working for the Foreign Office.

In December 2017, she was awarded an OBE for her work fostering Britain’s relationship with India, and in 2008 she received the Royal Victorian Order after leading Queen Elizabeth II’s official visit to Slovenia.

The palace is advertising for a new private secretary to take on the role of private secretary as the Princess seeks to define her new, elevated position within the institution.

In the interim, Natalie Barrows, her assistant private secretary, has stepped up, and travelled with the royals to Boston last week.

Her previous private secretaries are Rebecca Priestly, who stepped down from the role in 2017 after 10 years; and Catherine Quinn, who left her post in 2019 after two years.