Up to 100 staff at the King’s former official residence, including some who had worked there for decades, were given notice they could lose their jobs just as they worked around the clock to smooth his ascension to the throne. Private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff are among those notified during the Queen’s thanksgiving service at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday that their places were on the line. Many officials had assumed they would merge into the King’s new home, claiming they were given no indication of what was coming until the letter arrived from Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s top aide. A source said: “Everyone is absolutely on board, including the private secretaries and the senior team. All staff have been working late every night since Thursday to meet with him. People were visibly moved by this.” In his letter, seen by the Guardian, Alderton wrote: “The change in the role of our principals will also mean change for our household… The portfolio of work previously undertaken in this household, supporting personal interests, former activities and the former Prince of Wales’s household Business will no longer be carried out and the household … at Clarence House will close. It is therefore expected that the need for the posts based primarily at Clarence House, whose work supports these areas, will no longer be needed.’ The King’s private secretary added: “I appreciate this is worrying news and wanted to let you know about the support available at this point.” He added that some staff who provide “direct, close, personal support and advice” to Charles and Camilla will remain in place. It is not understood that any final decisions have been made, as a period of consultation must first be completed, which will begin after the state funeral next Monday. Staff being made redundant are expected to be offered alternative employment searches across the royal household, help to find new jobs abroad and “enhanced” severance pay beyond the legal minimum. A spokesman for Clarence House said: “Following last week’s accession, the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s household operations 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 inevitable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for the majority of staff.” It has not yet been confirmed whether the King and Queen will eventually live in Buckingham Palace. At present, only parts of Buckingham Palace are habitable as major storage works are carried out which are expected to take years. There is speculation that the King, who is said not to be particularly fond of the palace, would use it for official purposes such as receptions, audiences, investitures and banquets, while keeping nearby Clarence House as his London home. When his office was asked about it in 2017, when he was still Prince of Wales, officials said Buckingham Palace would remain the seat of the monarchy and the sovereign’s official residence. Detailed information about his possible living arrangements has not been released recently. According to Clarence House’s annual review earlier this year, the King employed 101 full-time staff. There are 31 in the private secretaries’ office, including private and assistant private secretaries, research, administrative and questionnaire staff. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A similar number work in its treasury, while it employs 12 in its communications office. Its 28 members of domestic staff include four chefs, five house managers, three valets and housekeepers and two butlers. According to the most recent government grants report, the Queen employed 491 full-time staff. There is also the question of whether the King would retain weekend use of Windsor Castle and Sandringham House in Norfolk, which the late Queen visited over the Christmas period. The King and Queen Consort also have a residence at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Llwynywermod, a country house in Wales. The new Prince and Princess of Wales recently moved to Windsor and moved into Adelaide Cottage, while retaining their Kensington Palace apartment for official purposes. When the Queen Mother died, the Duke of York took over Royal Lodge at Windsor. While some of her 83 staff were redeployed to other royal households, others were let go.
