Dozens of staff at Clarence House given notice of redundancies

Dozens of staff at the King’s former household have been given written notice of redundancies.

According to the Guardian, up to 100 employees at Clarence House were told that they could lose their jobs.

Private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff are among those to have received notice during the service for the Queen at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday, the newspaper indicated.

A source at Clarence House is quoted in the Guardian as saying that staff are “absolutely livid” and that people were left “visibly shaken” by it.

In a letter, the King’s top aide, Sir Clive Alderton, is said to have told the workforce that due to the previous portfolio of work undertaken by the former Prince of Wales no longer being carried out, the household would be “closed down”.

He added that the posts principally based at Clarence House whose work supports those areas would “no longer be needed”.

In a statement, a Clarence House spokesman indicated that work is underway to identify alternative roles for staff.

“Following last week’s accession, the operations of the household of the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have ceased and, as required by law, a consultation process has begun,” they said.

“Our staff have been 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.”

PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) general secretary Mark Serwotka described the speed and scale of the announcement as “callous”.

“The decision of Clarence House to announce redundancies during a period of mourning is nothing short of heartless,” he said.

“The self-same staff have been working tirelessly over this period in supporting the activities of the new King and ensuring continuity across the estates of the Prince of Wales.

“While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the Royal Family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme.

“Least of all because we do not know that staffing the incoming Prince of Wales and his family might need.”

He added: “PCS will continue to work with the Royal households to ensure that those staff have full job security.

“We remain committed to supporting those colleagues across the wider Royal Family’s estates whose futures are thrown into turmoil by this announcement, at this already difficult time.”