Broadcaster Kirsty Young has joined the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charitable foundation as a director.
Young, who is best known as the former host of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, is also president of Unicef UK.
It is understood that the respected presenter is a trusted friend of Harry and Meghan’s and was the first person the couple asked to join their new Sussex Royal charity.
Schedules meant the official paperwork has only now been completed and the documentation processed at Companies House.
Young is listed in the official records under her married name Kirsty Jackson Jones.
She is joining Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor, Steven Cooper and Karen Blackett as a trustee.
The former Five News anchor first presented the BBC castaway programme 12 years ago but had a spell away from it in 2018 after being diagnosed with a form of fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
She stepped down permanently in the summer, saying she had decided it was time to pursue new challenges.
Kirsty Young has decided to step down permanently as host of @BBCRadio4’s #DesertIslandDiscs: https://t.co/237n7ZbCa9 pic.twitter.com/rsliS2evaY
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) July 5, 2019
Harry and Meghan established their own foundation earlier this year after splitting from their joint charity with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
It followed reports of a rift, first between Kate and Meghan, then between future king William and his younger brother.
The Sussexes have focused on choosing directors who share their values and their vision of what they want to achieve through their charity work.
Philanthropist Professor Allesch-Taylor is a university professor and a coffee tycoon, who was awarded a CBE in 2014 for philanthropic and charitable services in the UK and Africa.
Former Barclays businessman Mr Cooper is the chief executive of the UK’s oldest privately-owned bank, C Hoare & Co, and and has lived in Botswana.
Influential media executive Ms Blackett is chairwoman of media agency MediaCom UK.
Kirsty Young: "There isn’t a cause on earth I would rather speak up for." #ProudofAid https://t.co/wGZkJpuv5p pic.twitter.com/B1Wo2Hm8yb
— Unicef UK (@UNICEF_uk) June 1, 2016
Young became president of Unicef UK, which works in 190 countries to help children in danger, in 2016.
She said at the time: “As a mother, I can think of nothing more important than keeping vulnerable children safe and healthy.”
Young is married to Soho House founder Nick Jones.
Soho House in London is where Harry and Meghan are believed to have had their first date, and the duchess’s close friend, Markus Anderson, is said to be a consultant for the members-only club.