As the UK and the world went into mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II – the second longest reigning monarch in history – some 100 employees faced even more troubling news:redundancy.
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A 'heartless' decision
According to The Guardian, King Charles III's staff were notified during the thanksgiving service at St Giles Cathedral that their jobs could be terminated.
According to the latest Clarence House annual review, the then-Prince Charles employed the equivalent of 101 members of staff full-time. The former Prince's household staff consisted of 28 employees, including four chefs and two butlers.
With the death of the Queen, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, are expected to move their offices to Buckingham Palace and leave their former residence, Clarence House.
The Guardian reports that staff expected to be transferred to the Palace. However, this seems not to be the case.
Redundancies for King Charles’s staff during mourning period ‘heartless’, says union https://t.co/cUfSHZJN63
— The Guardian (@guardian) September 14, 2022
The general secretary of the Public and Commercial Service Union (PCS) said:
The scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme.
Redundancies were expected.
The PCS general secretary admitted that some changes were expected with restructuring the monarchy's hierarchy.
BBC News reports that a Clarence House spokesperson explained that 'the former Prince of Wales's personal interests, former activities would no longer be carried out'. Therefore, Clarence House would 'close down.'
As did the households of The Queen Mother and Prince Philip upon their deaths, reports BBC News.
The former butler of Prince of Wales confessed that the news wasn't a shock to the household.
He said:
When I joined, I was fully aware that if the Queen passed, I would be redundant because my boss is no longer the Prince of Wales.
Not without help
Despite the ill-timing of the notification, the former Prince's staff hasn't been abandoned.
A spokesperson said that a consultation process had begun, and they are 'working urgently' to find alternative employment within other royal households. Albeit some redundancies will be 'unavoidable'.
Staff can expect help in finding employment externally if they so wish. They are also likely to receive an 'enhanced' redundancy payment, as per The Guardian.
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