The Duke of Sussex has made no secret of his animosity towards outgoing Sir Clive Alderton

Buckingham Palace is hunting for the monarch's next principal private secretary. The position, which commands a salary of £300,000 a year, is opening up as Sir Clive Alderton prepares to step down in the coming year, timed to coincide with his 60th birthday in May 2027.

Officials are thought to be considering both internal and external candidates to fill one of the most influential post in the royal household.

The role carries constitutional weight, sitting at one corner of the so-called golden triangle alongside the cabinet secretary and the prime minister's principal private secretary.

Yet royal watchers believe the appointment could also prove pivotal for the King's fractured relationship with Prince Harry.

The Duke of Sussex has made no secret of his animosity towards Sir Clive, widely believed to be the courtier he christened "the Wasp" in his memoir Spare.

"Without warning, he'd give you such a stab with his outsized stinger that you'd cry out in confusion," Harry wrote.

Harry appeared to hold Sir Clive responsible as one of the "men in grey suits" for the late Queen Elizabeth II's refusal in early 2020 to permit him and Meghan Markle to operate as half-in, half-out working royals.

He has also reportedly blamed the veteran diplomat for decisions by a Home Office committee to strip his family of their automatic entitlement to armed police protection in Britain.

Sir Clive's allies, however, have consistently maintained that he simply carried out the wishes of his principals with professionalism and charm throughout his two decades of royal service.

Some observers believe Sir Clive's departure could smooth the path towards further family reunions.

Theo Rycroft, his deputy and the reported frontrunner to succeed him, has been credited with helping facilitate the King's tentative rapprochement with the Sussexes.

Last month, Harry and Meghan brought Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to see their grandfather at Highgrove, the first such visit in four years.

Tom Sykes, who hosts The Royalist podcast, has described Mr Rycroft as the "chief dove" advocating for a Charles-Harry reconciliation, calling Sir Clive's exit a "huge win for the bring-back-Harry party."

Not everyone shares that optimism. A friend of the duke predicted the departure would make "no difference with the brother", a reference to Harry's strained ties with Prince William, which remain a separate problem.

Valentine Low, author of Power and the Palace, said he would be "surprised if Sir Clive was acting as a barrier" to warmer relations with the Sussexes, though he acknowledged that Harry's "Wasp" nickname may have complicated matters.

He also cautioned that Mr Rycroft's status as the obvious successor "might be over-egged."

Other names in contention include Scott Furssedonn-Wood, a former deputy private secretary now serving as director of protocol, and Sophie Densham, who has been Queen Camilla's private secretary since 2008.

Dr Martin Farr, a senior lecturer in contemporary British history at Newcastle University, argued that the Harry question would likely rank low among priorities when choosing a successor.

"Private secretary to His Majesty is, and always has been, an enormously important role constitutionally," he said.