Overview
- The Buckingham Palace confirmed Tuesday that Sir Clive Alderton has announced his retirement as private secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla.
- Alderton plans to step down in spring or summer 2027, a timetable that aligns with his approaching 60th birthday.
- The palace said it will use the remaining months to run an open and thorough selection process that will consider both internal and external candidates.
- Alderton has been the monarch’s senior operational aide for about two decades, leading coronation planning, organising state visits and managing high‑profile crises, and he supported the king during his recent cancer diagnosis.
- Media have named deputy private secretary Theo Rycroft as a possible successor but the palace has not confirmed any candidate and Alderton says he will continue to advise the king and queen in a less formal role after leaving.