Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sara Odeen-Isbister

Prince William appoints Team GB triathlete as new PR chief in major overhaul

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have appointed a former Team GB triathlete has their new head of PR.

Lee Thompson, who currently works for US media company NBC Universal as a high flying communications executive, will take on the new role of communications secretary, working closely with William and Kate.

It comes after what was described as a "tone deaf" tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.

The couple were met with protests when travelling around Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas as they represented the Queen.

The pair's previous communications chief, Victoria O'Byrne, left last year due to a family illness.

Lee, in his mid 30s, is a Leeds University graduate and has previously helped increase CNBC's YouTube audience by 600%.

Lee Thompson competing as a Team GB triathlete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (Corbis via Getty Images)

Before joining the US Network’s London office, Lee worked for the Association of Chief Police Officers and PR firm Freuds.

The fitness enthusiast began to compete in triathlons in 2015 and finished third at the 2018 Fyn ITU Duathlon World Championships.

According to the Sunday Times, Lee has been described as "an inspired asset" and "a brilliant, super-engaged man who really gets the international stuff".

The Duke and Duchess's tour was described as 'tone deaf' (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

His experience should help prepare the Cambridges' for their visit to the US this autumn for William's environmental Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

After the pair's interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, which shook the Royal family, a senior royal aide admitted: "We have a US problem."

Meanwhile it's been announced the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to leave their Kensington Palace behind with a move to Berkshire in the offing.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly all set to move to a house on the Queen's Windsor estate this summer.

The move will see the couple leave Kensington Palace, which has been their main residency since 2017 following time at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

It is reported that the royals are set to take their son Prince George, 8, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 7, out of their current school in Battersea at the culmination of this school year.

They will then join their younger brother, Prince Louis, 4, at a new school in September.

The decision has been made with William, who is set to turn 40 soon.

The royal couple will keep their Kensington Palace property as their main London base, while also retaining Anmer Hall, which they are said to still use regularly.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.