King Charles’s private secretary effectively serves as his right hand man – and he’s handsomely paid for it.

Sir Clive Alderton, 56, is a former British diplomat who has worked for the Royal Family since 2006 and has served the King since 2022.

According to the Sovereign Grant report, he earns between £205,000 and £210,000 per year, which is more than double the salary of Queen Camilla’s top female aide, Sophie Densham.

The former diplomat reportedly lives in Malborough House, on the Clarence House Estate, with his rent at an undisclosed amount “agreed with HM Treasury”.

As the King’s go-to man, Sir Alderton is seen as a key figure in the royal household.

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He joined the Foreign Office in 1986 and subsequently served in various diplomatic posts in Poland, Belgium, Singapore and France.

In 2006, he was appointed deputy Private Secretary to the then Prince Charles and Camilla but was later promoted to Private Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the royal pair in 2009.

He subsequently made ambassador to Morocco and simultaneously non-resident ambassador to Mauritania in 2012.

But since 2015, he’s been by the King’s side as his Principal Private Secretary.

Sir Clive and Sophie, despite their unequal pay, often accompany the King and Queen on royal tours to oversee their diary arrangements.

The Sunday Times first published the shocking figures, which were recently revealed as part of the Sovereign Grant report, which details how the Royal Family is funded by taxpayers.

It’s the first time these salaries come into the spotlight as previously they were paid privately by Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall estate which does not publish salaries.

The report also revealed the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral cost the Palace £1.6million, whereas the Platinum Jubilee celebrations cost £700,000.

A royal insider told the Times: “I’m really shocked by the disparity and I’m astonished by Sophie’s salary — that is a kick in the teeth. She is a real grafter, and hers is a massive, bloody busy job.”

A Palace official said: “Her [Densham] remuneration package is set to a comparable position of the private secretary to the late Duke of Edinburgh.”