For years, Sky News’ royal-beat reporter has been Rhiannon Mills. I’ve never had strong opinions about her in either direction – she’s as close as the royal rota gets to a pure stenographer. She relentlessly repeats whatever Prince William and King Charles’s offices tell her to say, but she doesn’t lavish them with praise. She’s also not insanely anti-Sussex. Mills was the reporter who “accidentally” referred to the Princess of Wales’s 2024 health issues as “precancerous cells” though. And in the middle of a keen profile of William, Mills mentioned that many in the palace think he’s “workshy.” So, all in all, she’s not the best and she’s very far from the worst. Well, Mills is leaving Sky News and… going to work for Buckingham Palace.
The King has hired a leading royal correspondent to become one of his senior media advisers, The Times has learnt. Rhiannon Mills will join the royal household press office as communications secretary to Charles and Camilla after more than a decade of reporting on the royal family for Sky News.
Her partner, Andrew Parsons, already works as a photographer for the Prince and Princess of Wales. Now Mills has been poached to join the royal household, moving away from reporting on the royal family, of which she has sometimes been critical, to help with their PR.
A palace source said that Mills, 46, was “a great fit” to help present the King and Queen’s communications message, on account of her “intelligence, quick thinking, good humour and resilience.”
Mills’s appointment comes amid a backdrop of difficult headlines for the royal family. In October the palace announced that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the King’s brother, was being stripped of his royal titles and ousted from his Royal Lodge home following further allegations about his friendship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
I’ve seen a lot of people say that this is yet more evidence of everything Prince Harry has said about the rota and the way the palace and press operate symbiotically. And all of that is true and we’ve known it for many years now. I totally understand this move from the palace – they believe Mills already has a good idea of palace operations and palace communications, and they correctly assume she already has relationships within the rota as well. But what I don’t understand is: how is this a good move for Mills, or any rota reporter? It makes them ALL look like they’re spending their careers auditioning for a palace job. I’ve often called these reporters “stenographers to power,” but it’s even worse than that – they’re already acting as if they’re working on behalf of the palace and the Windsors anyway and that’s how they “report” royal news. How embarrassing for them. (Also: I wonder if Roya Nikkhah is bummed she didn’t get this job.)
Screencaps courtesy of Sky News. Additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and King Charles III view items related to Nigeria from the Royal Collection exhibition, in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one during their state visit to the UK. Picture date: Wednesday March 18, 2026.,Image: 1084082463, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla, Britain’s King Charles III, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s First Lady Oluremi Tinubu arrive to attend a State Banquet in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on March 18, 2026, on the first day of a two-day State Visit to the United Kingdom by Nigeria’s President.,Image: 1084165773, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: HENRY NICHOLLS/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III, Britain’s Queen Camilla (L), Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s First Lady Oluremi Tinubu (R) arrive to attend a State Banquet in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on March 18, 2026, on the first day of a two-day State Visit to the United Kingdom by Nigeria’s President.,Image: 1084165847, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: HENRY NICHOLLS/Avalon
I guess that’s one way of getting a critic off the streets.
Honestly, considering the fact that C&C already hired a former Fail editor to join their staff, this seems like a step up? The bar is obviously in hell, but after that, it feels like anyone they hire will seem reputable in comparison.
@Eurydice, I just saw your comment, lmao
Prince Andrew, Prince Andrew, Prince Andrew. This is their tactic, change his name so it doesn’t tarnish the “royals”, and hire anyone who is remotely not just spouting their BS. Nope! He was a prince when he raped children, he’s still a prince.
Good lort. The Windsors will never pivot and keep digging themselves deeper and deeper. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Exactly. They want to avoid any influence from outside their bubble and it’s the worst thing they can do. PR is their whole game, the key to their survival is having top notch comms and PR. On the other hand, the core rota people has already proven their loyalty to keep the RF’s worst secrets and they never know with an outsider. I wonder if KP’s crisis manager is still around, because they have not changed their comms strategy whatsoever.
I saw this news this weekend and it certainly raised my eyebrows. The line between these royal rota reporters and the palace are already blurred — this doesn’t help. But I think they quite like that.
Idk? The palace is known for not paying that well but maybe they’re paying better than what she was getting. Maybe it seems like a more stable gig. Maybe she knows something so they brought her into the fold. I can’t imagine it being anything but a nightmare to work for the royals but that’s just me.
@Jais, definitely not just you!
What happened to their other photographer that was married to her former stylist? Is he no longer their go to guy? I stopped following him on social media a while ago so haven’t seen photos in a while but this article mentions a different photographer, or should I say photoshopper.
That guy works for Getty images, not KP. He just cozies up to William and Kate as much as possibly and makes sure to airbrush all Kate’s photos to keep getting plum assignments
Chris Jackson is either freelance or works for a photo agency – he doesn’t work for KP. He’s just been really kind to them in his photoshopping.
My first thought – well, anyone in the rota is already willing to compromise their integrity, so seems like good fit.
So the Director of communications is a former editor of the Daily Mail, and now the media secretary is from Sky News and we’re not supposed to believe that they work hand in hand with the media to shape narratives kill stories, and amplify others as needed?
I know they aren’t actually ethical but most people would try to pretend that they are. They aren’t even pretending. They legitimately want you to believe that there’s no collusion between these two entities, even though Palace employment and media employment have a revolving door.
And the worst thing is that even with them basically being Snidely Whiplash behind a desk people will still believe these stupid stories that they put out, and never ask the real questions that need to be asked.
The rota-to-palace pipeline rolls on.
The tabloid to royal household pipeline continues to be strong. Mills is not exactly a vociferous critic of the royals but this feels like the palace wanted to keep her safely in the fold.
Isn’t she the one Harry told off after she “doorstepped” him while he was getting into a car on one of their last tours – to South Africa? When she persisted after he told her to ask the people at the charity which he had just visited and he said “Rhiannon, don’t be like this” and got into the car? Then of course the rota all dutifully reported that Harry had snapped at her (his voice was quite reasonable) and that he was stressed and under pressure. This is hardly likely to encourage Harry to maintain contact with his father?
She is also the reporter who revealed that Kate’s “cancer” had actually been “pre-cancerous cells” and that her source had been William himself?
Very symbiotic relationship indeed. Now did the communications director Torbyn Andreae hire her, or did Charles and Camilla themselves?
I guess this means that she will now be a “source” for her former colleagues and essentially become a more integral part of the echo chamber (and get first dibs on any information re contact between Harry and Charles). Rebecca English must be seething, because all her grovelling sychophancy at the feet of William and Kate and Carole Middleton has not (yet) landed her with such a plum role.
Yes, that was her.
RM’s partner/husband is one of KP’s in-house photographers. How will their duelling loyalties play out in their marriage? Will they have to self-censor when discussing work? Will one party suspect the other of disloyalty if a scandal breaks out about one of their principals? It seems like a tricky situation for RM and her partner.
Catty comment:
SHE IS 46?!
Good Goddesses…does NO ONE on this island moisturize?!?!?
C’mon!
My thought exactly…she must be shaving off a good decade at least.
I’m curious about what this means about Charles’ health. Is he perhaps not on his deathbed as the reporters who cozy up to his son desperately wish? Otherwise she must know she’d be fired by William as soon as he becomes King. Or will we get some articles in the next few days about how Charles consulted William on this etc?
William made Charles hire Rhiannon. Signed, Tom Sykes.
RM’s husband/partner is one of KP’s in-house photographers. It’ll be an easier transition to W’s team when KFC passes.
This is interesting to me. Like Kaiser said, she’s a stenographer – she’s not like Rebecca English or Richard Eden and doesn’t wax poetic ad nauseum about the royals. She was also REALLY mad about being forced to walk back the “precancerous cells” comment from William. I wonder what the thought process is here – that she will be able to manage leaks in a more strategic fashion, that she has a better idea of what plays well in 2026, that she will have a good relationship with the press?
I also wonder how this will work for BP vs. KP if she has a partner at KP. Which one will be leaking info to the other?
She published the “precancerous cells” story and then had to walk it back weeks or months later, as others have pointed out.
Rhiannon may know things. Is this to reward her for agreeing to walk that back? Is this an example of “keep your enemies closer”? Or is she just the only one who wanted the job, because she’s ambitious and maybe palace experience could be a useful step to even better things?
I think your last point is a good one – do we think there was a huge list of people eager to take on a sinking ship like the british monarchy?? She may have been the best option.
Yes, she walked back the precancerous cells statement (like I said in my comment 😉 ) but she really really didn’t want to. If I remember correctly, Sky News edited it out first and I think weeks later was when she clarified her tweet or something like that. I’m honestly not sure she ever did? I dont have twitter/X anymore so can’t check. It was kind of like when Palmer got pissy that he had to walk back the “no wars in Europe” comment from William.
and in both those situations I’m not sure what the news organization/reporter got in return. It wasn’t like there was a deal made with a one on one interview in exchange or something. They just took down the quotes because the palace ordered them to, even if the reporters were opposed to it.
Or she’s the only one of that era of the rota, IIRC, that’s not named in any hacking lawsuits…
I take this to mean that Rebecca English’ goose is cooked. Same for Katie Nichols. So BP is scooping up anyone else from the rota who isn’t tainted and knows how the game is played…
There won’t be much of a difference to what she did at Sky. It must be unsettling to Harry when his father keeps hiring people who were either part of the royal rota or worked for the tabloids.
I honestly wonder if Harry is surprised by anything his blood relatives do anymore. Surely he’s been out of the cult long enough to see how the sausage is made, in its entirety?
Kaiser,
Think Royal is auditioning for a job with Willy. She is one of his biggest cheerleaders along with R English.
What the hell kind of name is “Roya”? Did she make it up because it sounds like “royal”? These weirdos.
it’s Persian. We can say a lot of things about Roya Nikkah, but making fun of her name is not really one of them.