As the future monarch plans to relocate palaces, The Guardian reported Tuesday that dozens of veteran members of King Charles III’s staff at Clarence House may lose their jobs.
According to the story, at the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, up to 100 staff received layoff warnings. The warnings are being sent out as staff members at the king’s old official home put in extra hours to assist him in adjusting to life at Buckingham Palace.
Private secretaries, employees in the finance department, the communications department, and domestic workers are among those whose jobs are in jeopardy, according to The Guardian. The Clarence House 2021–2022 annual review states that there are 101 full–time employees at the house.
Many employees apparently believed they would be moving to Charles’ new residence with him until they got a letter from the king’s senior advisor, Sir Clive Alderton, this week.
The site apparently saw a copy of the letter, which said that Clarence House would be shut down and that Charles’ “change in duty” would “also entail change for our home.”
The letter, which cited a source from The Guardian, said that “it is envisaged that the requirement for the jobs predominantly headquartered at Clarence House, whose work supports these sectors would no longer be required.”
An anonymous source told the publication that employees are “absolutely livid.”
“All the staff have been working late every night since Thursday, to be met with this,” the person said. “People were visibly shaken by it.”
Alderton added that certain staff members who provide “direct, close, personal support and advice” to Charles and Camilla would maintain their roles, and he confirmed that no final decisions have been made yet. He said a consultation period will begin following the queen’s state funeral next week.
A spokesperson for Clarence House did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment but confirmed to The Guardian that “some redundancies will be unavoidable.” The representative added that the residence is “working urgently” to find alternative roles for as many staff as possible.
Staff who are let go are expected to be offered assistance in finding new jobs and an “enhanced” redundancy payment, according to the outlet.
The Royal Family has yet to confirm whether Charles and Camilla will ultimately live full-time at Buckingham Palace. According to The Guardian, there is speculation that the king, who is reportedly not keen on the residence, might use the palace for more official purposes, while maintaining Clarence House as his personal home.