Why Meghan Markle's 'Right Hand Woman' has Quit Her Job at the Palace

Another member of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's staff has quit, meaning there'll be a pretty cool job opening at Kensington Palace soon.

Meghan's private secretary and most senior aide, Amy Pickerill, has handed in her notice, and will be leaving her job soon. But according to a statement from Kensington Palace as reported in Harper's Bazaar, there's no animosity between the pair - Amy is in fact leaving because she's moving abroad.

The private secretary, who was hired in 2016 to help Meghan Markle with her move from Canada to the UK, will be staying on until just after the birth of Meghan and Harry's baby. With Meghan due next month, it means Amy only has a number of weeks left in her royal role.

The Palace's statement read:

"Amy is leaving after the arrival of the baby. The Duchess will be very sad to see her go, but is excited for her as Amy has exciting plans ahead including spending some time abroad. Amy had originally planned on staying until at least the end of the year, but with the baby coming it makes sense to help recruit someone now who can pick up when The Duchess returns to her official work. They will definitely stay in touch and Amy will be on hand for any advice and help that is needed in the future."

While Amy's reason for quitting has only recently been announced, it seems the Duchess of Sussex has known about her aide's plans to depart the role for quite a few months.

Amy Pickerill has become something of a familiar face throughout her two-and-a-half years supporting Meghan Markle. The private secretary helps to organise and attends most events with the Duchess, including her recent appearance on a panel talk at King's College in London last week to celebrate International Women's Day.

The Palace staff member, who previously worked in communications at the government's Treasury and at the Royal Bank of Scotland before becoming Meghan's aide, was also spotted at the Sussex's royal wedding back in May 2019.

Kensington Palace's insistence that Meghan and Amy will stay in touch after she leaves is backed up by inside information from royal correspondent Rebecca English. She tweeted over the weekend that the pair "are very close" and will likely remain friends.

Amy isn't the first member of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's team to quit in recent months, however. Back in November, the Duchess' personal assistant Melissa Touabti quit her job after six months. Weeks later, it was announced that another of Meghan and Harry's aides, private secretary to the couple Samantha Cohen, is also reportedly leaving the Palace following the birth of baby Sussex - however that hasn't been confirmed.

So basically, if you fancy yourself as a contender for Meghan Markle's inside circle, keep a very close eye on the Kensington Palace job boards over the coming weeks.