Royal aide: The Aussie guiding Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
THE Duchess of Sussex has won hearts all over Australia with her effortless charm and grace — and the help of her Aussie royal aide.
THE Duchess of Sussex has won hearts all over Australia with her benevolence, effortless charm and grace — and the help of her Aussie royal aide.
Originally from Brisbane, Samantha Cohen, 49, had been one of the queen’s “most trusted” staffers for almost 20 years when she was tasked with giving Meghan a six-month crash course in how to be an effective member of the royal family.
She took on the role in May — after Meghan and Prince Harry married — and made the move from Buckingham Palace to Kensington, where the newlyweds reside.
Ms Cohen was reportedly hand-picked for the job of royal adviser to Meghan, as she transitions into her new life as a duchess, after rising through the ranks from the Buckingham Press Office to private secretary for the queen.
She was also appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2016.
It’s understood Ms Cohen’s training sessions for Meghan have focused on royal protocol and introductions to various charities.
“It will be six months of listening (for Meghan),” a palace source told the New York Times earlier this year. “She is seeking out advice from a range of people. She is going to proceed with humility. It is not going to be quiet, though. It’s going to be a very busy office.”
Ms Cohen — who is one of several key staff members in the entourage on tour with the royals in Australia — has held several meetings with Meghan since becoming her right-hand woman.
Her nickname is reportedly “Samantha the Panther” in royal circles because of her “feisty” personality and fierce approach. She allegedly once refused Victoria Beckham an invite to a party.
Ms Cohen handed in her notice to the Queen last September, but soon agreed to stay on as interim private secretary for a further six months, when the opportunity to work with Meghan arose.
She will finish up in her role in the English Spring of 2019, around the same time Prince Harry and Meghan’s first child is due to be born.
Ms Cohen had decided to leave following the ousting of Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s private secretary, who announced his resignation last July after 15 years in service.
The former Brisbane All Hallows Catholic school student first started working for “The Firm” — a term Prince Phillip uses to describe the royal family — after answering a newspaper job advertisement for a media minder while on a trip to London in 2001. She quickly rose to the private office at the palace.
Prior to joining the palace, she completed a journalism degree at the University of Queensland then went on to work at the Sunshine Coast Daily. She later made the move into public relations as an adviser to the Australian Government in indigenous Affairs and Mining and Resources.
Since making the switch to Kensington Palace this year, Ms Cohen is said to have played a key role in prepping Meghan for Prince Charles’s 70th birthday party at Buckingham Palace — her first appearance as the Duchess of Sussex.
The Queen, Prince William and Prince Harry are said to be extremely fond of Ms Cohen.
Ms Cohen once told a newspaper: “They really like Australians here (at Buckingham Palace).
“We bring something to the job they quite like — enthusiasm, a can-do attitude.”
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