King Charles was reportedly “duped” by a senior courtier at Buckingham Palace into appointing a new colleague to a particular job as he recovered from a bout of cancer treatment.
The Mail on Sunday claimed the incident had sparked a furious royal row, with one of the King’s closest aides apparently going “ballistic” at the news.
His private secretary has been forced to back down over the appointment, with Garter King of Arms David White in severe trouble over his attempt to get the person hired.
Mr White has been accused of totally ignoring royal procedure and using “back channels” to obtain the King’s signature on his preferred choice for a senior role at the College of Arms.
This took place while His Majesty was in London receiving his cancer treatment, when staff are under strict instructions to leave him be as he recuperates.
A source told the publication: “It’s like a trick from the Middle Ages. There’s been a huge row behind the scenes.
“Some people believe that David White deliberately tried to get to Charles behind their backs so that he could get his preferred candidate into the role.
“What David may not have realised was that the King was tired. In other words, he was at his most vulnerable, which is why proper procedure exists.
“When the King is in London he is here to receive treatment and therefore that can often be a challenging time for him. The aides closest to Charles knew him well enough to know he should have been left in peace at that time.”
The role of Garter King of Arms is to advise the monarch on matters of heraldry and on how to conduct royal ceremonies, with Mr White having stood on the balcony at St James’s Palace to proclaim Charles as King in September 2022.
However, the Mail made it clear that it is not his position to advise the King on royal appointments or offer up his own recommendations.
According to reports he had wished to appoint his colleague Peter O’Donoghue to the role of Secretary of the Order of the Garter at the College of Arms, which is responsible for creating and maintaining coats of arms.
More senior aides at the Palace had been advised to put forward a different candidate and were planning on putting in an official recommendation through vetted channels.
But in this case Mr White had one of his assistants pass his letter of recommendation directly to her husband, who works at the Palace, to place in front of the King.
His moves have been described as a “deliberate ambush” to get around the King’s comptroller and his private secretary, Colonel Michael Vernon and Sir Clive Alderton.
