Dismissals are “inevitable” at Clarence House, the former official residence of Charles III in London, a spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, a decision that was quickly criticized by a union.
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According to the daily The Guardian, dozens of Clarence House staff have already received their dismissal letters. A hundred people are said to have worked at Clarence House, some for decades.
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The Guardian reported on Monday that up to 100 staff at the king’s former official residence, some of whom had worked there for decades, had been told they could lose their jobs after his accession to the throne.
The services of the king and queen consort will be transferred to Buckingham Palace after the accession to the throne of Charles III, who became king last Thursday after the death of his mother Elizabeth II.
“Following last week’s accession to the throne, the operations of the household of the former Prince of Wales and the former Duchess of Cornwall have ceased and, as required by law, a consultation process started,” said Clarence House, contacted by AFP.
“Our staff have given long and loyal service and, although some redundancies are inevitable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for as many staff as possible,” added Clarence House.
“Clarence House’s decision to announce layoffs in a time of mourning is simply heartless,” the PCS union general secretary said in a statement.
“If changes were to be expected as roles evolve within the Royal Family, the scale and speed with which they were announced is ruthless in the extreme,” the union adds.
Clarence House | archives AFP
Clarence House employees are not represented by a recognized union, however, notes the Guardian.
According to the newspaper, the royal services had initially wanted to delay the announcement of the redundancies until after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. But after legal advice, it would have been decided to share the news as soon as possible.
All laid off employees will be offered ‘enhanced’ severance pay and none will be affected for at least three months, according to royal sources.