Entertainment

This Is Who's Got The Biggest Royal Entourage & No, It's Not Harry & Meghan

by Lauren Sharkey
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When any member of the royal family travels, they are joined by a pretty big entourage. You didn't think they'd be able to organise everything by themselves, did you? Given the recent marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, people are pretty curious about how the royal family works. Who are Harry and Meghan's closest aides? How does their crew compare to William and Kate's? Which royal has the biggest entourage of them all? Settle down, because predictably, these entourages are no small matter.

It turns out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex rival Prince William and Kate Middleton with their 11-strong entourage, according to the Express. Apparently, the group includes a person for almost every job imaginable, from a hairdresser to someone that deals solely with their transportation. If you were planning to try and join the couple's team, you might have to gain a bit of experience first as almost everyone in their entourage has been working alongside the royal family for some time.

So, who is in the Sussex entourage? One of the most photographed women to appear next to Markle in recent months is assistant private secretary Amy Pickerill. According to Town & Country, the 32-year-old previously worked for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's office as a senior communications officer. Prince Harry reportedly asked for Pickerill to be moved over to his team with the aim of working as Markle's personal aide, says the Express.

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This involves helping Markle adjust to royal life by managing her schedule and advising her on certain protocols. The Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the Huffington Post that Pickerill's role is to basically tell Markle "what she can do and what she can't do. What she can't do is make political statements or comments and get involved in controversies."

Hairstylist George Northwood is the next most high-profile member of the entourage. Again, he works solely for Markle. In fact, he has been her go-to man for some time and styled Markle's hair on her wedding day for her evening reception, as Vogue reports. Northwood also works with a number of other famous faces including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Alexa Chung, and according to Hello!, is paid for privately by Markle.

The rest of the couple's team reportedly consists of private secretary Ed Lane Fox (who stepped down in April, according to Hello!, and is yet to be replaced), Prince Harry's special adviser on foreign issues, Sir David Manning, and communications secretary Jason Knauf, according to the Express. Knauf is the head of a four-person team and also regularly travels with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Then there's usually a personal assistant and digital media photographer.

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What about the Cambridges? Well, unlike Markle, Middleton reportedly travels with a stylist, who carefully picks out every detail of her outfits, according to the Express. She and William reportedly have a few extra helping hands to assist with their children when they travel, too — namely in the form of nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. Both William and Middleton each have their own private secretary (Simon Case for William, and Catherine Quinn for Kate), too, and, according to the newspaper are also often accompanied by a tour secretary and logistics manager.

The higher up the royal family you go, the more people they travel with. Charles and Camilla have been known to take around 14 people with them on royal tours, reports the Express, while the Queen can be surrounded by a whopping 34 individuals.

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The Telegraph reports that Her Majesty's entourage can include staff from the Master of Household who deal with all things food and drink, the Queen's private secretary and his or her deputy (as well as secretaries for each of these people), her dresser, a hairstylist, a valet, a Royal Navy doctor (who sometimes travels with packs of the Queen's blood), press officers, and around eight police bodyguards.

Any trip that the Queen embarks on is also meticulously researched. The Telegraph's royal correspondent wrote that the Master of the Household department will travel to the location beforehand to instruct chefs to steer clear of any food that could cause food poisoning, and to avoid garlics and spices "for fear of giving the Queen bad breath."

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The same goes for the Queen's dresser, Angela Kelly. She will ensure weeks in advance that any of the outfits the monarch is planning to wear will "not clash with backdrops." Kelly also speaks to local people to find out whether there are any colours or patterns that could be deemed offensive.

So there you have it: It's the Queen who has the biggest entourage. She is surrounded by a team of dedicated helpers, who are always on hand to ensure that Her Majesty travels in style.