King Charles III hands Prince Harry's former palace nemesis new royal title

King Charles III recently appointed a former Buckingham Palace aide who butted heads with Prince Harry a title that would see him frequent royal engagements. The new role comes after the aide received a six-figure payout after his resignation shortly after the coronation in May.

Sir Edward Young (now Lord Young of Windsor) served as principal private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II and then joint private secretary to His Majesty before he left the royal household. Following his resignation, he received a "compensation payment" of £145,000 to £150,000 [$184,000 to $190,000] in March 2023 for his 19 year-long service.

On June 13, the King made him a Lord in Waiting and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (an ancient order of chivalry) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. He was also created a life peer as Baron Young of Old Windsor.

Then the Court Circular, which is the official register of royal engagements and appointments, announced another new title for him on Aug. 15. The register showed that King Charles III has upgraded Lord Young to a "Permanent Lord in Waiting."

According to Newsweek, this is a role usually given to senior royal aides that will see him frequent major royal events. He will also be called upon to represent the monarch at other state or formal occasions.

The former royal secretary could also be asked to represent his Majesty at the funerals of other high-ranking courtiers or government officials. A "Permanent Lord in Waiting" is a rare honour according to Tatler, with The Marquess of Cholmondeley among the other Permanent Lords in Waiting.

The new honour is said to be a reflection of King Charles III's "great respect for Lord Young." A source claimed handing the title is the monarch's way of showing his gratitude for all the work the former royal aide did for Queen Elizabeth II, "often under great pressure."

Lord Young dutifully served Queen Elizabeth II from 2004 until her death on Sept. 8, 2022. To support King Charles III, he briefly served as joint Private Secretary alongside Sir Clive Alderton.

Sir Alderton said at the time of Lord Young's resignation, "Edward has been an outstanding colleague and a dear friend for almost two decades. He made an invaluable contribution to the closing years of the late Queen's reign and to helping support the process of transition. He will be much missed by us all."

Lord Young also expressed his honour to have "served two sovereigns through historic times, and grateful for all the support and friendship of colleagues along the way." He shared he was "deeply touched by their kind words and tributes" and looked forward "to staying in close contact in years ahead."

Lord Young occupied the role of most senior member of the royal household described as "the channel of communication between the Head of State and the Government." He also served as liaison to the Armed Forces, the Church, and the many organisations the monarch supported.

He also sat on the Home Office committee, which Prince Harry has been in legal contention with over his request for security in the U.K. The duke filed a petition with London's High Court to dismiss the committee's decision not to allow him to personally fund his and his family's police protection while in the country.

During his legal filing, he found out that one of those who voted to have him stripped of his security was Lord Young. His lawyer Shaheed Fatima said he has had "significant tensions" with the aide in the palace.

These tensions were highlighted in Prince Harry's memoir "Spare," released on Jan. 10 this year. He did not namedrop Lord Young but his description of a senior royal aide he nicknamed as "the bee" reportedly matched the former aide's physical features. He described him as "oval-faced and fuzzy and tended to glide around with great equanimity and poise, as if he was a boon to all living things. He was so poised that people didn't fear him."