LONDON (AP) – Reports that up to 100 staff at King Charles III’s former residence could lose their jobs have drawn criticism of the British monarchy within days of his accession to the throne.
The Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday that dozens of staff at Clarence House, Charles’ former official residence, have been told their jobs are at stake. According to the report, the announcements came amid a busy period of transition as Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen consort, move into Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
The Public and Commercial Services Union called the royals’ decision to notify staff of the job cuts during a period of mourning “downright heartless”.
“While some changes in the budgets were to be expected as roles in the royal family change, the scale and speed with which this was announced is extremely callous,” said the union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka.
Britain is in a national period of mourning until Monday, when the Queen’s state funeral takes place.
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In a statement, Clarence House said that following Charles’s accession, his and Camilla’s household operations “ceased” and “a consultation process has begun, as required by law”.
The British King Charles III. walks behind the coffin during the procession for Queen Elizabeth II in London September 14, 2022. (Kate Green/Pool Photo via AP)
“Our staff have provided long and loyal service and while some redundancies will be inevitable, we are working urgently to find alternative roles for the greatest possible number of staff,” the statement added.
The Guardian said an unnamed associate of Charles’s told the newspaper that “everyone is absolutely furious… people were visibly shaken by it.”
The criticism added to negative press for the 73-year-old monarch after two videos showing him visibly irritated with a leaking pen and pen holder went viral on social media in recent days.
In one video, Charles was seen losing his temper with a leaking pen as he signed a guest book in front of cameras in Northern Ireland, where he was visiting on Tuesday on the final leg of his royal tour of Britain’s four nations.
Charles was heard exclaiming, “Oh god, I hate this!” and muttering, “I can’t take that damn thing…every smelly time.”
The video comes after another pen-related incident on Saturday, when the new monarch gestured irritably at his staff when a pen holder got in his way as he signed a document during his accession ceremony.
Charles has been under intense media scrutiny since his mother’s death in Scotland on Thursday and has had a busy schedule. He and Camilla flew from Scotland to London for his accession ceremony and a visit to Parliament to address lawmakers before flying back to Scotland where he walked behind the Queen’s coffin.
He then flew to Northern Ireland on Tuesday and returned to London the same night, in time for the procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
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