London, UK – King Charles and Prince Harry have been making progress towards a reconciliation, but will the resignation of the monarch’s top advisor help clear the way?
As it became known a few days ago, Charles’ long‑standing and most important private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, will leave his position in May 2027.
“Harry may welcome Sir Clive’s retirement personally, especially after portraying him so negatively in Spare,” an insider told Page Six, referencing the Duke of Sussex’s 2023 memoir.
“But if Harry believes one retirement suddenly clears the path back into the Royal Family, I think he’ll be disappointed.”
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The “trust deficit” between Harry and his family extends far beyond Alderton himself, according to the palace insider.
Earlier speculation suggested that Charles’ adviser had warned him against meeting with his youngest son.
In his autobiography, Harry is said to have called the secretary “the wasp.” The prince described him at first as friendly and reserved before later taking surprising action against him.
The source explained: “Reconciliation has always depended less on who advises the King and more on whether Harry can convince his family that history won’t repeat itself.”
Can Harry regain his family’s trust?
Even Alderton’s resignation can’t make the problems disappear.
These include, in particular, a lack of trust, confidentiality issues, and Harry’s repeated public criticism of the royal institution.
“The obstacle has never simply been Sir Clive Alderton. The much bigger issue is whether the Royal Family believes they can have private conversations with Harry without seeing them become public,” said another insider.
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Accordingly, Harry now has to achieve one thing above all: regain his family’s trust.
The feud between Harry and his family began six years ago, when he, his wife Meghan Markle, and their children moved to the US, leaving behind his royal duties. Since then, the Sussexes have leveled numerous accusations against the British royal family.
Among other claims, they accused members of the royal family of being racist towards Meghan. Harry also alleged that his older brother, Prince William, threw him to the ground during an argument.
