From Parroting Palace Talking Points to Helping to Shape Them: Buckingham Palace's Latest TV Hire

A look at some of the notable Palace hires from within the British Media and the U.K. Government and lingering questions about the newest media secretary

Last week, it was announced that Royal Correspondent for Sky News, Rihannon Mills, will join Buckingham Palace’s Comms Team as a media secretary.

If you were concerned that this could be a conflict of interest, don’t worry! One already kind of exists. Mills’ partner, Andrew Parsons, works as a photographer for the Prince and Princess of Wales, whom Mills reports on.

From The Times’ Royal Editor:

“Now Mills has been poached to join the royal household, moving away from reporting on the royal family, of which she has sometimes been critical, to help with their PR.”

It’s delightful watching a member of the royal rota try to navigate the ethics of this appointment with impartiality. (I would not be surprised if one of her close colleagues joined the Wales’ Comms Team in the future.)

But if you think Mills might feel out of place in the Comms office, have no fear. The director of communications for Buckingham Palace is a former Daily Mail Editor.

The Government, Media, and British Royal Family: Strange Bedfellows

Media and the British Royal Family

Tobyn Andreae was the Deputy Editor for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and worked for other British outlets like Tatler before joining then-Prince Charles’ team as director of communications in July 2022.