private secretary

American  

noun

1. a person who attends to the individual or confidential correspondence, files, etc., of a business executive, official, or the like.

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private secretary British  

noun

1. a secretary entrusted with the personal and confidential matters of a business executive

2. a civil servant who acts as aide to a minister or senior government official Compare parliamentary private secretary

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Etymology

Origin of private secretary

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

On 8 February 2010, the then-Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk wrote to Epstein on behalf of Ferguson, to invite him to Andrew's 50th birthday party later that month at St James's Palace in London.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

However, Andrew’s private secretary told the broadcaster that they met in the early 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Ravec's then-chair, Sir Richard Mottram, told the late Queen's private secretary Sir Edward Young that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would lose their existing Met protection.

From BBC • May 24, 2025

Founded in 2017, Pitch@Palace Global Ltd was initially held in the name of Amanda Thirsk, the prince's private secretary, in an arrangement often used by the Royal Family.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2025

Mrs. Palmer was in Europe at the time, but her private secretary, Laura Hayes, a gossip of virtuosic scope, made sure her employer learned all the details.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson