The Retirement of a Longtime Royal Aide Could Change Prince Harry and King Charles’ Relationship

As King Charles’ right-hand man prepares to leave the palace, Prince Harry could see a door left open on his way out. After 20 years working with The King and Queen Camilla, Sir Clive Alderton has announced he is stepping down from his role as principal private secretary. He will stay in post until his 60th birthday in May 2027.

To announce his retirement, Alderton wrote a letter to the royal staff, stating, "It has been the greatest imaginable honor to serve the King and Queen in my present role through such historic times and with unforgettable humor along the way. That support will continue, in a less formal capacity, for all of my life."

According to his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry believed three royal staffers were working against him, with many suspecting Alderton to be the staffer Harry referenced as “the Wasp.” In an excerpt, Prince Harry first commended the “charming” and “jazzy energy" of "The Wasp," before turning the tables to call him “arrogant.”

"He was great at pretending to be polite, even servile,” Harry wrote. “You'd assert a fact, something seemingly incontrovertible—I believe the sun rises in the mornings —and he'd stammer that perchance you might consider for a comment the possibility that you'd been misinformed: Well, heh-heh, I don't know about that, Your Royal Highness, you see, it all depends what you mean by mornings, sir.'"

Harry went on to describe "the Wasp" as “weedy” and “so self-effacing,” adding, “You might be tempted to push back, insist on your point, and that was when he’d put you on his list. A short time later, without warning, he’d give you such a stab with his outsized stinger that you’d cry in confusion. 'Where the f--- did that come from?'"

Not only could Alderton’s retirement affect King Charles’ relationship with his estranged son, it may also impact the Duke of Sussex’s chances to regain police protection in his home country. The secretary sits on RAVEC, a committee that determines official protective security for public figures in the U.K. Alderton's replacement will also take his spot on the board, leaving Harry’s request in a new pair of hands.