Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aide is made a lord as he leaves Buckingham Palace after 19 years

Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aide has been made a Lord after he finally left Buckingham Palace having served for 19 years, it was announced yesterday.

Sir Edward Young, who was the late monarch’s private secretary, stayed on following her death to help smooth over the change in reign – and has been heaped with honours for his loyalty.

A discreet figure, he uncharacteristically hit the headlines after clashing with Prince Harry, who openly accused the career courtier of preventing him from seeing his grandmother to lobby over ‘Megxit’.

The prince also blamed Sir Edward for ensuring he was stripped of his Scotland Yard security deal after acrimoniously quitting royal duties – and even came up with a nickname for him, ‘The Bee’, due to his ‘oval-faced and fuzzy’ appearance and tendency to ‘glide around with great equanimity and poise’.

Harry added: ‘He was so poised that people didn’t fear him. Big mistake. Sometimes their last mistake.’

Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aide, Sir Edward Young (pictured), has been made a Lord after he finally left Buckingham Palace having served for 19 years, it was announced yesterday

Sir Edward Young (circled) behind the Queen and Meghan Markle in Chester in June 2018

But Sir Edward – now Lord Young – was considered an ‘outstanding’ public servant at the palace, as evidenced by King Charles’ decision to reward him so richly.

As well as being granted a peerage, he has also been appointed a Lord in Waiting, which may mean him undertaking royal duties in the future, such as meeting visiting heads of state.

Additionally, he has been appointed a Knight Grand Cross Order of the Bath – an ancient order of chivalry – and promoted within the Royal Victorian Order to Knight Grand Cross.

Sir Edward has been acting since last September as joint principal private secretary to His Majesty the King along with Sir Clive Alderton, who moved in the role from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace.

Sir Edward Young greets then-outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson at Balmoral in Scotland on September 6, 2022 – two days before the death of Queen Elizabeth II

Sir Edward Young is pictured in July 2004 when he was announced as the Queen’s new assistant private secretary

A source said he had agreed to stay on for a few months after the accession ‘to bring his vast reservoir of wisdom and experience to bear on helping to deliver the change of reign’.

Paying tribute to his colleague, Sir Clive said: ‘Edward has been an outstanding colleague and a dear friend for almost two decades.

‘He made an invaluable contribution to the closing years of The late Queen’s reign and to helping support the process of transition. He will be much missed by us all.’

Sir Edward said: ‘I am honoured to have served two sovereigns through historic times, and grateful for all the support and friendship of colleagues along the way.

‘I am deeply touched by their kind words and tributes as I venture beyond the Palace gates, but look forward to staying in close contact in years ahead.’