Amid the Katespiracy, Buckingham Palace is on the hunt for a new communications staffer — and they're hoping to pay this person $32,000 a year
- Buckingham Palace is looking for a new communications assistant.
- The new staffer's role includes ensuring that the royals' "communications consistently spark interest."
- They will draw an annual salary of close to $32,000, and be asked to work 37.5 hours per week.
Buckingham Palace is hiring a new communications assistant amid heightened interest in the Princess of Wales' whereabouts.
Besides responding to media inquiries, the new staffer will be tasked with creating content like feature articles and social media updates, per the hiring notice. It is unclear when the position was listed, though applications are set to close on April 7.
The assistant will draw an annual salary of around $32,700 and be asked to work 37.5 hours a week.
"Whether working on a state visit, ceremonial event or Royal engagement, you'll make sure our communications consistently spark interest and reach a range of audiences," the hiring notice said.
The royal family has run into some major PR issues this past month. Speculation has been rife about the Princess of Wales' health ever since Kensington Palace said she went for a "planned abdominal surgery" in January. She has not been seen publicly since December.
Kate's prolonged absence from the public eye has now become conspiracy theory fodder, and social media users have cooked up unsubstantiated rumors about her health and the state of her marriage to Prince William.
Some have even coined terms like "Katespiracy" and "KateGate" as catchall terms for all the wild, unconfirmed theories that have been making the rounds on social media.
Kensington Palace has continued to remain tight-lipped about Kate's circumstances. On February 29, the palace issued a terse statement to the media, telling reporters that they "shall not be providing a running commentary" on Kate's recovery.
And then on March 10, the palace made the bizarre decision to release a digitally altered photo of Kate and her kids. The photo, which had blurred spots in certain areas, was removed by several photo agencies over concerns that it was doctored.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the princess said in a statement released by the palace the following day, where she apologized for the confusion caused by the photo.