Former Prince Andrew aide eyes position in takeover bid for Currys

A former non-public secretary to Prince Andrew is taking part in a key position within the deliberations of a Chinese on-line retail big over a doable bid for Currys, the excessive avenue electrical items chain.

Sky News has learnt that Amanda Thirsk, who stop because the Duke of York’s non-public secretary practically 4 years in the past, is working in a senior enterprise growth position at JD.com.

A former banker, Ms Thirsk labored at Buckingham Palace for Prince Andrew from 2004 till the spring of 2020, when she reached a settlement to terminate her position within the aftermath of his disastrous interview with the BBC’s Panorama programme.

She is known to have been working with JD, one in all China’s largest e-commerce teams, for a lot of the interval since she left the Palace.

Ms Thirsk additionally stop her position as chief govt of Pitch@Palace, Prince Andrew’s flagship enterprise enterprise, shortly after stepping down as Prince Andrew’s non-public secretary.

Sources stated she was now concerned in JD.com’s analysis of a doable bid for Currys, which noticed its shares soar final week after Sky News revealed that it had attracted takeover curiosity from Elliott Advisors, the non-public fairness agency.

JD.com has but to submit a proper supply for the London-listed retailer, however has been set a mid-March deadline by the Takeover Panel to take action or stroll away.

Listed on New York’s Nasdaq alternate and in Hong Kong, JD.com has over 600m clients globally.

It operates greater than 1,600 warehouses in China, making it an unlimited logistics participant even by the requirements of the world’s most populous nation.

A spokesman for JD.com and Ms Thirsk each declined to remark.