The Duchess of Cambridge has made one of her most loyal aides redundant.
Sophie Agnew, 32, worked for Kate Middleton for seven years and the lay-off is said to have left her friends and family shocked.
The timing of the redundancy is said to have confused palace insiders with one source revealing that Sophie had only just got back from her honeymoon after marrying insurance company director Stuart Hill.
Another source claimed the role had been made redundant as a consequence of Wills and Kate's "Fab Four" split from Harry and Meghan Markle.
A friend told the Daily Mail: “Sophie worked so hard for Kate, she loved her job and made a lot of sacrifices.
“Everyone's been really shocked because it was so unexpected. It seems like extreme cost-cutting.”
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Like her former employer, Sophie is a St. Andrews history of art graduate and while working for Kate was put in charge of her personal assistants.
She has become the second prominent female aide to have left as soon as she tied the knot.
Kate's former private secretary, Rebecca Deacon, quit in 2017.
Sophie was regularly seen at Kate's side and joined the couple on their 2014 trip to Australia and New Zealand.
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Palace sources claim that Sophie is a victim of the big break-up between Princes William and Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit Kensington Palace for a new home at Windsor, splitting their households as well as their charitable foundations.
Rumors of a royal rift have been circulating after it was announced Markle, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, were to split royal households with Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 37.
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The rift rumors were sparked after a source claimed that Meghan had made Kate cry during Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaids fitting last year.
These were further stoked when Kensington Palace confirmed that Harry and Markle were moving to Windsor.
The Sun Online has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
This article originally appeared in The Sun.