Edward Young, Baron Young of Old Windsor,  (born 24 October 1966), is a British courtier who served as Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 2017 to 2023. As private secretary, he was the senior operational member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. Young was recruited to the Royal Household in 2004, serving as Queen Elizabeth II's assistant and then as Deputy Private Secretary until his promotion to Private Secretary in 2017. After the death of the Queen in 2022, Young served as joint principal private secretary to King Charles III until he stepped down in May 2023.

Early life and career
Young was born on 24 October 1966 to Edward Young and Sally Rougier Young. He was educated at Reading School in Berkshire, where he was a boarder.

Young worked for the international side of Barclays Bank between 1985 and 1997, where he held a range of executive roles including as a specialist in international trade finance and as manager for the Corporate Bank European Currency Programme. In 1997, he moved to Barclays' Head Office to become the bank's Deputy Head of Corporate Public Relations.

From late 1999 to 2001, he was an advisor to Michael Portillo, the Conservative Party's shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, and then to the party's Leader of the Opposition, William Hague. In 2001, Young was appointed Head of Communications at Granada plc, working primarily on the merger with Carlton Communications to form ITV PLC in 2004.

Royal Household

Assistant and Deputy Private Secretary (2004–2017)
Young became an assistant private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II in September 2004. He was promoted to Deputy Private Secretary in September 2007 after the promotion of Christopher Geidt from Deputy Private Secretary to Private Secretary, on the retirement of Sir Robin Janvrin, Private Secretary from 1997 to 2007.

As Deputy Private Secretary he played a key role in the planning of the Queen's visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011. He is credited with assisting the Queen in writing the highly praised speech, which she began with a few words in the Irish language. The Queen's visit was hailed as a diplomatic triumph that improved Anglo-Irish relations. 

Young led the national planning of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, which took place in 2012. He persuaded Elizabeth to take part in the James Bond helicopter sketch in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Private Secretary (2017–2023)
Young became Private Secretary in 2017, on Geidt's retirement. As Private Secretary, Young also served as Keeper of the Royal Archives and a Trustee of the Royal Collection Trust.

As head of the Private Secretary's Office, Young had direct control over the Press Office, the office of the Director for Security Liaison, the research, correspondence, anniversaries and records offices, and the Royal Archives.

As Private Secretary, Young was a member of the so-called 'golden triangle' of senior British officials – the others being the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister – with key responsibilities in the event of a hung parliament in the United Kingdom.

On 11 March 2021, The Times reported that royal historian Robert Lacey stated that Young had a share of the responsibility for the so-called Megxit royal crisis after the Oprah with Meghan and Harry U.S. CBS television interview. Lacey charged that Young "should have sat down with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and explained precisely" her "relatively minor ranking" after her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018.

Young took part in the royal procession at the 2023 coronation.

Retirement
On 15 May 2023, Buckingham Palace announced that Young was retiring after 19 years of service to the Royal Family.

Following his retirement as private secretary to the sovereign, Young was granted a peerage, made a lord-in-waiting, and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

On 13 June 2023, Young was created a life peer as Baron Young of Old Windsor, of Old Windsor in the Royal County of Berkshire, and was introduced to the House of Lords on 15 June. He sits as a crossbencher.

Personal life 
Young was married in 2003 and has one daughter.

Honours and awards
Young was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2010 Birthday Honours, and was promoted to Commander (CVO) in the 2015 Birthday Honours, and Knight Commander (KCVO) in the 2020 New Year Honours. Upon leaving office as Private Secretary to the Sovereign, King Charles III appointed Young a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). Young was also granted a peerage and made a lord-in-waiting.

On 11 October 2017, Young was sworn of the Privy Council.

References

External links
Profile at UK Parliament

1966 births
Living people
People educated at Reading School
Private Secretaries to the Sovereign
Deputy Private Secretaries to the Sovereign
Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign
Crossbench life peers
Life peers created by Charles III
Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Members of the British Royal Household
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom