King Charles appoints influential diplomat to prestigious role within the royal household – report
King Charles has appointed a new deputy private secretary, and he is already one of the most influential people in the UK.
According to MailOnline, His Majesty has hired Theo Rycroft, a “high-flying diplomat,” to be his right-hand man. Theo, who is currently deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Paris, will act as the King’s “gatekeeper” and will advise Charles on his public work and personal matters.
Most recently, Theo was seen assisting Prince William in Paris on Saturday during his meeting with US President-Elect Donald Trump.
Prior to his new appointment, Theo has had an impressive career as a diplomat, having previously served as the Legal Adviser to the Prime Minister until 2017, among many other top roles.
He also practised as a commercial litigation solicitor and has an LLM in International Law and Jurisprudence, as well as a master’s in classics from Oxford University.
© Alan Davidson/ShutterstockHis professional accomplishments aside, Theo is married to Hon Flora Astor, a half-sister of Samantha Cameron, wife of former Prime Minister David Cameron.
Flora is part of the Astor dynasty, who were once one of the wealthiest families in the United States, their fortune rooted in the fur trade and then Manhattan real estate.
The couple married in September 2006, tying the knot at All Saints Church, Lockinge, near Newbury, Berkshire.
© Alan Davidson/ShutterstockLast year, Tatler included the couple in their 2024 Social Power Index, ranking them as one of the most influential couples alongside the Duke of Westminster and his wife, Olivia Henson.
Theo and Flora share three children, and the family-of-five and currently lives in a 17th-century country estate in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France.
In 2013, Flora told The Times that her husband’s job require their family to relocate regularly. At the time, the family were living in Switzerland, where Theo was working as the legal adviser at the UK mission to the UN in Geneva.
She said: “In a year’s time we’ll be leaving Geneva and we don’t know where we’ll be. It’s exciting, but we’re lucky we’ve got this place, so I feel grounded and the children feel they have a home.”
As for Flora, she is a qualified gemologist and private jeweller with a workshop in Hatton Garden.
