Sir Clive Alderton KCVO PC (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.[1] He is the 25th holder of the office of Private Secretary since its inception in 1805.
Sir Clive Alderton | |
|---|---|
 Alderton in 2015 | |
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| Assumed office 8 September 2022 Serving with Sir Edward Young (2022–2023) | |
| Monarch | Charles III |
| Preceded by | Sir Edward Young |
| Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales | |
| In office 5 February 2015 – 8 September 2022 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | William Nye |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Christophe Gray |
| Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Morocco and (non-resident) to Mauritania | |
| In office 2012–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Morris |
| Succeeded by | Karen Elizabeth Betts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 May 1967 |
| Education | Abingdon School |
He previously served them in their capacity as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as their private secretary since 2015.[2] Earlier, he served as an ambassador, and in the Foreign Office.
Biography
editAlderton was educated at Abingdon School.[3] He joined the Foreign Office in 1986 and subsequently served in various diplomatic posts in Poland, Belgium (European Union), Singapore and France.[citation needed]
In 2006, he was appointed Deputy Private Secretary to Prince Charles and his wife, and he was promoted to Private Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to Their Royal Highnesses in 2009. In 2012, he took up an appointment as ambassador to Morocco and simultaneously non-resident ambassador to Mauritania.[4]
He was appointed principal private secretary to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on 5 February 2015.[2] He served in that position until the Prince's accession to the throne as King Charles III on 8 September 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
On 13 September 2022, Alderton was sworn as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. On 20 October 2022, he attended the Privy Council as one of the King's Private Secretaries.[5] 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.[6]
According to the Sovereign Grant Report, as of 2024, Alderton receives a salary of £215,000-220,000.[7]
Honours
editAlderton was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2013 New Year Honours,[8] Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2019 Birthday Honours[9] and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.[10] 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.[11]
In 2014, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Romania, a dynastic order of Romania.[12] He was promoted to a Commander of the same order on 19 October 2023.[13]
On 13 September 2022, he was sworn in as a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council entitling him to the prefix "The Right Honourable" for life.[14]
| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 28 December 2012 | Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order | LVO | Promoted to CVO in 2019 | |
| United Kingdom | 8 June 2019 | Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | CVO | Promoted to KCVO in 2022 | |
| United Kingdom | 1 June 2022 | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | KCVO | ||
| United Kingdom | 6 February 2012 | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | |||
| United Kingdom | 6 February 2022 | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | |||
| United Kingdom | 6 May 2023 | King Charles III Coronation Medal | |||
| Royal House of Romania | 2014 | Knight Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania | Promoted to Commander in 2023 | ||
| Royal House of Romania | 19 October 2023 | Commander of the Order of the Crown of Romania |
References
edit- ^ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Mr Clive Alderton L.V.O., Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, appointed as Principal Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall". Official Website of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ "Library" (PDF). The Abingdonian.
- ^ "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco and Non-Resident Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016., British Embassy Rabat, 18 April 2012
- ^ "Court Circular". The Royal Family. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund". Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.
- ^ "The Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2024" (PDF). royal.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 28 December 2012. pp. 1–28.
- ^ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B2.
- ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B4.
- ^ "Sir Clive Alderton walks behind Queen Elizabeth II's coffin". Getty Images. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Ordinul Coroana României" (in Romanian). casamajestatiisale.ro. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ @@MajestyMagazine (20 October 2023). "Sir Clive Alderton, the King's private secretary, is now a Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown and received the insignia from Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown, at Peleş Castle yesterday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "ORDERS APPROVED AND BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT THE PRIVY COUNCIL HELD BY THE KING AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON 13TH SEPTEMBER 2022" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Retrieved 5 July 2023.