Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘A Very Royal Scandal’ focuses on one of the worst PR mistakes in the history of the Royal family with Prince Andrew giving an interview to the BBC’s Newsnight. The story unfolds from the perspective of Emily Maitlis, who conducts the infamous interview with her diligent team working by her side to make it a success. Meanwhile, the Prince’s private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, is questioned about the intentions of the interview by key members of the Queen’s staff, Sir Edward Young and Donal McCabe, who try to gauge the situation and the impact it can have on the royal family. Following the interview, it turns out that their suspicions about the whole thing were entirely correct. Given their experience with the royals, it makes sense that they’d know exactly how the interview would end up.
Sir Edward Young Gave 19 Years of His Life to the Royal Family
Born in 1966, Sir Edward Young’s journey from a boarder at Reading School in Berkshire to becoming the late Queen Elizabeth II’s close advisor is quite notable. Years before finding a place for himself at Buckingham Palace, Young worked for Barclays Bank from 1985 to 1997, where he took on several executive roles, including the manager for the Corporate Bank European Currency Programme. He was later made Deputy Head of Corporate Public Relations at Barclays’ Head Office. In 1999, he left his post to become the advisor to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Michael Portillo, and later moved on to advise the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague. In 2001, he joined Granada PLC and oversaw its merger and transformation into ITV PLC in 2004.
Following this, he moved to the Palace as the Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen. In 2007, he was promoted to Deputy Private Secretary. A decade later, he was promoted to Private Secretary. Having worked for the Queen for 18 years, he was one of the few people present when she breathed her last on September 8, 2022. Of her last moments, he noted in his memo: “Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain.” As per Robert Hardman’s book ‘Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story,’ Young was the one to find the contents of the royal’s last red box in which she would receive all the important documents. The book reveals that in the box, Young found two sealed letters, one for King Charles and one for himself. He didn’t reveal the contents of the letter.
Following the Queen’s passing, Young joined King Charles’ staff, serving as his private secretary till May 2023. He is noted to have brought “a vast reservoir of wisdom and experience to bear on helping to deliver the change of reign.” One of the few times that he has been at the receiving end of criticism is when Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare,’ referred to him as the Bee, accusing him of being one of the courtiers “taking advantage of a Queen in her nineties, enjoying his influential position while merely appearing to serve.” Young was also a part of several discussions concerning the Prince’s decision to step away from his royal duties.
Sir Edward Young is a Heavily Decorated Person
Sir Edward Young, aka Lord Young of Old Windsor, is currently a member of the UK House of Lords, where he sits as a Crossbencher. Since January 2024, he has also been on the Finance Committee. Following his departure from the Palace, he received “£145,000 to £150,000 [$184,000 to $190,000] in March 2023 as a “compensation payment” for his long service,” according to the annual Sovereign Grant Report. In August 2023, he was appointed as one of King Charles’ Permanent Lords in Waiting, which means he will be able to represent the King when he is not available for certain events. This is a step up from his previous position as a Lord in Waiting.
This is also around the time when he was granted a peerage, which bestows the title of Lord on him, through which he now has a seat in the House of Lords. Additionally, he has also received a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in honor of his service to the palace. Looking back at his nearly two decades’ worth of service to the Crown, Young said he was “honored” to have the job and “grateful for all the support and friendship of colleagues along the way.” While he looks forward to his future outside of the Palace, he also said that he would stay in touch with the Palace and its people.
Donal McCabe Has Been Enjoying His Time Off
Best known for serving as the last communications secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, Donal Valentine McCabe took time off from work following the Queen’s passing to “reflect on his 30+ year career.” He has worked as a corporate affairs professional “experienced in leading communications for businesses and brands in interesting times.” He entered the Queen’s employ in March 2019 and was a part of her staff till her death in September 2022. While handling all sorts of PR situations, he is also believed to be the person to coin the term “recollections may vary,” though different sources have credited other people for it. Reportedly, he became the last person to be formally honored by the Queen when she invested him with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) for his service to the royal family.
Before working at Buckingham Palace, McCabe worked for London Underground, Railtrack, Ladbroke Coral, Land Securities PLC, and Alliance Boots, mostly working in corporate communications. He also briefly worked with Rugby League. In June 2024, he was at the Royal Ascot, where he was interviewed for the podcast, ‘The Royals with Roya and Kate,’ where he talked about his experience with the royals, especially the late Queen. While he has mostly lived out of the limelight, he discovered a sudden public interest in him when Netflix’s ‘Scoop’ dropped and a version of his character appeared in the story.
McCabe noted that even with “an actor playing [him] for nanoseconds,” he has received “a steady stream of messages, profile searches, and requests to connect.” This isn’t the first time that he has talked about a Netflix movie or show based on the life of the Royals. He has previously commented on the streamer’s immensely popular series, ‘The Crown,’ stating that the royal household has never been involved with it in any way and “has never agreed to vet or approve content.” As for his personal life, McCabe prefers to keep the time spent with his wife, Jo, and their children out of public scrutiny, as the family opts to enjoy their privacy.
Read More: Stewart Maclean: Where is the BBC Journalist Now?
