private secretary

American  

noun

1. a person who attends to the individual or confidential correspondence, files, etc., of a business executive, official, or the like.

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private secretary British  

noun

1. a secretary entrusted with the personal and confidential matters of a business executive

2. a civil servant who acts as aide to a minister or senior government official Compare parliamentary private secretary

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Etymology

Origin of private secretary

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

private secretary

He got his first foot on the ladder when he was appointed parliamentary private secretary to pensions minister Margaret Herbison.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

“He was friendly,” Churchill’s private secretary wrote, “but he never smiled: a change from the Ike of war days.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

The Queen Mother's private secretary contacted No 10 to complain, although the files do not explain what caused the offence.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

However, Andrew’s private secretary told the broadcaster that they met in the early 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Mrs. Palmer was in Europe at the time, but her private secretary, Laura Hayes, a gossip of virtuosic scope, made sure her employer learned all the details.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson