The upcoming appointment of King Charles's next senior aide could influence Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's chances of mending their relationship with the monarch, according to reports.
Last month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. This was the first time Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet had seen the King since 2022.
Harry's safety concerns
The main reason for this appears to be that Harry feels the UK is unsafe for his family, having not brought them on trips to Britain for four years until last month. It is also believed that the King's relationship with Harry and Meghan has been tense over the last few years for several reasons.
Sir Clive Alderton's retirement
Reports suggest that since the £300,000 job of being King Charles's next right-hand man or woman has been up for grabs, Harry and Meghan could have more of a chance to either mend their relationship with the monarch, or lose it.
It is believed that the fact this job will no longer be held by Sir Clive Alderton, Charles's most senior aide who will retire next year, could be a benefit to Harry and Meghan. Sir Clive and Prince Harry are not believed to get on very well, with Harry describing his father's closest aide as “the Wasp” in his book Spare.
Harry wrote in his memoir: “Without warning, he'd give you such a stab with his outsized stinger that you'd cry out in confusion.”
Impact on reconciliation
While some may therefore think that Sir Clive's position in the Royal Household could have hampered the reconciliation with the monarch and his youngest son over the years, others believe it will not make any difference, according to The i Paper. This is because, although Sir Clive advises the King, it is believed to be unlikely that he would have been able to influence the monarch on his decisions regarding Harry.
The i Paper also reports that friends of the monarch's aide, who has worked for the royals for two decades, have insisted that Sir Clive has only ever carried out his boss's wishes. It is believed that Sir Clive will retire next year. His job role will be replaced, with applications reportedly welcome from internal and external applicants.
