Some staff at Clarence House have been warned their jobs are at risk following King Charles III’s accession to the throne. The Guardian said dozens of staff were told during the thanksgiving service for the Queen in Edinburgh on Monday. Clarence House said some redundancies were “unavoidable” because of the change in role for Charles and his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort. They were working to find alternative roles for employees, a spokesman said.
The Guardian reported that private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff were among those who had been warned of redundancies as the offices of King Charles III and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace.
The King’s top aide, his principal private secretary Sir Clive Alderton, said in the letter to staff that the change in role for the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall meant that Clarence House would be “closed down”. He said the former Prince of Wales’s personal interests and former activities would no longer be carried out. “It is therefore expected that the need for the posts principally based at Clarence House whose work supports these areas, will no longer be needed.” Staff were left livid and shaken by the announcement, the newspaper said.
The Clarence House spokesman said: “Following last week’s accession, the operations of the household of the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have ceased and, as required by law, a consultation process has begun. “Our staff have given long and loyal service and, while some redundancies will be unavoidable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for the greatest possible number of staff.”
‘Thrown into turmoil’
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) condemned the decision to announce redundancies during the period of mourning as “nothing short of heartless”. “While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the Royal Family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme,” said general secretary Mark Serwotka.
“Least of all because we do not know what staffing the incoming Prince of Wales and his family might need. “PCS will continue to work with the Royal Households to ensure that those staff have full job security. “We remain committed to supporting those colleagues across the wider Royal Family’s estates, whose futures are thrown into turmoil by this announcement at this already difficult time.”
Clarence House, which stands beside St James’s Palace, was the official London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It has not yet been confirmed whether the King and Queen Consort will eventually live at Buckingham Palace. The households of the Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh were also closed after their deaths. It is understood legal advice taken by the household required the information to be shared with staff at the earliest opportunity, despite efforts to delay until after the Queen’s funeral. Any Clarence House staff being made redundant will be offered “enhanced” redundancy payments, it is understood. No staff will be affected for at least three months.
