Clive Alderton

Sir Clive Alderton (born 9 May 1967) is a British diplomat and courtier who has served as Private Secretary to King Charles III and Queen Camilla since 8 September 2022. As Private Secretary to the Sovereign, he is the senior operational member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. In this role, he took part in the 2023 Coronation. He is the 25th holder of the office of Private Secretary since its inception in 1805.

He previously served them in their capacity as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as their private secretary since 2015. He had previously worked in the Foreign Office, and had served as the British ambassador to Morocco from 2012 to 2015.

Biography

Alderton was educated at Abingdon School. He joined the Foreign Office in 1986 and subsequently served in various diplomatic posts in Poland, Belgium (European Union), Singapore and France.

He was appointed principal private secretary to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on 5 February 2015. He was Joint Private Secretary to the King, serving with Sir Edward Young, until 15 May 2023, when Young retired. From then he has been Private Secretary to the Sovereign.

Alderton is also a Trustee of the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.

According to the Sovereign Grant Report, as of 2026, Alderton receives total remuneration of £305,000.

In July 2026, it was announced that Alderton will retire in May 2027.

Honours

Alderton was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2013 New Year Honours, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2019 Birthday Honours and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2022 Birthday Honours. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

In 2014, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Romania, a dynastic order of Romania. He was promoted to a Commander of the same order on 19 October 2023.

On 13 September 2022, he was sworn of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council entitling him to the prefix "The Right Honourable" for life.