Princess Kate and Prince William eye up help to 'maximise' their impact - and new hire requires rare skill

The Prince and Princess of Wales are looking to hire an "Assistant Private Secretary" who will work alongside the couple at Kensington Palace in London.

The full time job is described as an "exciting opportunity" which involves taking a lead role in the "planning and delivery for most the THR's public engagements in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland".

However, the job description makes clear there will be a "particular focus on Wales", with the eventual hire required to have Welsh language skills.

The job description reads: "This role requires excellent communication and organisational skills, with a proven ability to build productive relationships with a wide range of individuals and institutions.

"You will have a proactive, hands-on approach while operating in a small and agile team, and a strong understanding of Welsh communities, affairs, government, and business."

It adds: "Conversational Welsh is essential, and fluent Welsh, both written and spoken, is desirable."

Kate and William will not be directly involved in the hiring process, with highly regarded recruitment agency Odgers Berndtson instead tasked with finding someone suitable for the role.

Those looking to apply must submit an application before midnight on July 21.

The attempt to forge deeper relations with the people of Wales comes after there was criticism of William being granted the title "Prince of Wales" upon his father's accession to the thrown.

A petition was launched at the time demanding the position be scrapped "out of respect for Wales", with tens of thousands of people lending their support.

The petition argued the title has "been held exclusively by Englishmen as a symbol of dominance over Wales" and those that have been given the title "have no genuine connection to our country".

Amid the backlash from certain quarters of the nation, William decided to do away with the traditional investiture ceremony which usually takes place in Caernarfon.

King Charles faced some protests when he held his own investiture ceremony in Wales in 1969.