King Charles Rocked By Palace Shake-Up – Prince Harry’s ‘The Wasp’ Sir Clive Alderton Is Out?

Sir Clive Alderton, King Charles III’s long-serving Principal Private Secretary, has announced that he will step down from his role in May 2027, around his 60th birthday, after 20 years of service to the Royal Household.

Key Takeaways

• Sir Clive Alderton will step down as King Charles’ Principal Private Secretary in May 2027.
• Alderton has spent two decades serving the Royal Household and became one of Charles’ closest advisers.
• Buckingham Palace will launch a search for his successor ahead of the transition.
• Prince Harry famously referred to Alderton as “The Wasp” in Spare.
• Alderton’s departure represents a significant changing of the guard inside King Charles’ royal operation.

The King’s Closest Adviser

Sir Clive Alderton has been King Charles’ closest adviser since 2015 when King Charles was Prince of Wales, until he became king in 2022.

Alderton played a major role in several royal events, King Charles’ accession to the throne and the coronation. Though he will not be part of the Royal Family anymore, he will continue to support the King and Queen in an informal capacity.

A Search For Sir Alderton’s Successor

Buckingham Palace will begin a search soon for Sir Alderton’s successor and the transition will likely be complete tentatively by the summer of 2027.

This announcement has also drawn attention to Prince Harry referring to Sir Clive Alderton as “the wasp” in his memoir “Spare” which led some commentators to speculate whether this change will affect the future dynamics of the royal family.

However there is no evidence that his retirement will change those relationships significantly.

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