The Right Honourable
Sir Clive Alderton
KCVO
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Assumed office
8 September 2022
Serving with Sir Edward Young (2022–2023)
MonarchCharles III
Preceded bySir Edward Young (as Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II)
Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales
In office
5 February 2015 – 8 September 2022
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byWilliam Nye
Succeeded byJean-Christophe Gray (as Private Secretary to Prince William)
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Morocco and (non-resident) to Mauritania
In office
2012 (2012)–2015 (2015)
Preceded byTimothy Morris
Succeeded byKaren Elizabeth Betts
Personal details
Born (1967-05-09) 9 May 1967 (age 56)
EducationAbingdon School

Sir Clive Alderton KCVO (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.

He previously served them in their capacity as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.[2]

Biography

Alderton 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.

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]

Honours

Alderton was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2013 New Year Honours,[7] Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2019 Birthday Honours[8] and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.[9] He is a recipient of both the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.[10]

In 2014 He was made a Knight Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania, a dynastic order of Romania.[11] He was promoted to a Commander of the same order on 19 October 2023.[12]

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.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Library" (PDF). The Abingdonian.
  4. ^ "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
  5. ^ "Court Circular". The Royal Family. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  6. ^ "The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund". Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.
  7. ^ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 28 December 2012. pp. 1–28.
  8. ^ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B2.
  9. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B4.
  10. ^ "Sir Clive Alderton walks behind Queen Elizabeth II's coffin". Getty Images. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Ordinul Coroana României" (in Romanian). casamajestatiisale.ro. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  12. ^ @@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.
  13. ^ "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.
Court offices Preceded byWilliam Nye Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales 2015–2022 Succeeded byJean-Christophe Gray Preceded bySir Edward Youngas Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign 2022–present Incumbent Diplomatic posts Preceded byTimothy Morris Ambassador to Moroccoand (non-resident) to Mauritania 2012–2015 Succeeded byKaren Elizabeth Betts
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