King Charles III is reportedly planning to slim down the ranks of staff at England’s royal residences, months after staff at Clarence House were told they were being made redundant.
According to a royal insider, the reported 491 full-time staff working across Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle, Windsor Castle and other royal residences, per msn.com, are “extremely worried” about their positions and fear they will be unemployed by the end of the year.
“It’s a really testing time. Many are already resigned to leaving jobs they have cherished for years,” the insider told The Mirror.
“It’s left a real sense of dread among staff.”
Royal insiders believe Queen Elizabeth II’s ladies-in-waiting at the Royal Stud in Sandringham are among those at risk.
The news comes one week after the King announced a one-off cost-of-living bonus for his staff, with a source telling The Sun that Charles was paying hundreds out of his own pocket to help his lowest-earning employees during the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
“It is being given on a sliding scale with those most in need and on lower wages getting the most money,” the source said.
For some royal staff, the recent risk of redundancy may come for a second time, after up to 100 employees at Charles’ former residence of Clarence House were given redundancy notices during the Queen’s thanksgiving service in September.
In a letter sent to staff by Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s top aide, it was revealed that the Clarence House household “will be closed down”.
“The change in role for our principals will also mean change for our household … The portfolio of work previously undertaken in this household supporting the former Prince of Wales’s personal interests, former activities and household operations will no longer be carried out, and the household … at Clarence House will be closed down. 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,” his letter read, as reported by the Guardian.
“I appreciate that this is unsettling news and I wanted to let you know of the support that is available at this point.”
It is understood that staff made redundant would be offered searches for alternative employment across the royal households.
“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 number of staff,” a Clarence House spokesman said at the time.
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This article first appeared on OverSixty.