A former private secretary to Prince William has revealed the three-word command his boss once gave him — and how it left him “petrified”.
Military veteran Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton worked as a private secretary for both the future King and his brother Prince Harry from 2005 until 2013. During that period, he got to know Kate Middleton well too, who he described as being a “really cool woman”.
And in 2011, the year William and Kate became husband and wife at an unforgettable ceremony at Westminster Abbey, it was Jamie who was given an almighty task.
Revealing what the weighty three-word order was, he told The Times: “I was petrified because he said to me early on, ‘You’re running it.’ And it’s the closest I’ll ever get to a divisional command because you had all these brilliant experts and you didn’t need to do anything.
“You just needed to set the parameters and let people do what they were so bloody good at.”
View 3 ImagesKate Middleton and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton watch Prince William compete in the Chakravarty Cup charity polo match at Ham Polo Club on June 17, 2006(Image: Getty Images)
Despite the pressure of delivering for William and his wife-to-be, he said the “wedding was great” and that the future monarch “chose well” in Kate. He also described the pair as a great couple who remind him of his own mum and dad.
Some 25 years on from when they first met as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, William and Kate are as united as ever, and live in Forest Lodge with their children Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
And although it has been 13 years since Jamie worked for William, he spoke about meeting Kate in Suffolk last year during an official engagement.
There, she greeted him with a kiss, and he said: “I was so embarrassed, I nearly headbutted her. I didn’t know if I should be bowing. It was so sweet of her.”
Jamie is Prince George’s godfather — and the eldest child of William and Kate is heading for Eton College in September.
View 3 ImagesPrince William at Royal Ascot (Image: WireImage)
William was 22 and Harry was 20 when Jamie entered their lives and he described both brothers as being “brave guys”.
He said he “loved them both” and that William was a natural born leader while his younger brother was “more of a mischievous cub, scampering around”.
And asked about their rift in recent years, he said he would rather stay clear of it.
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However, he clarified that he was “very fond” of Harry and that he believes he has “huge redeeming features”.
Jamie has had a wide ranging career after working for the Royal Family following his stint as an SAS soldier.
The 65-year-old has now added novelist to his list of achievements with his first book called Beyond the Edge of Light being published next month.