King Charles is set to cut a number of the late Queen's key staff at Windsor Castle as part of a radical overhaul of workers at royal residences, according to a source. The source told The Mirror that many royal employees are “extremely worried about their futures” and fear being made redundant before the new year amid the dire financial climate.
Buckingham Palace did not respond to the claim. The move follows the King putting 100 staff at Clarence House – his former official residence – on notice of redundancy. The Windsor insider said: “It’s a really testing time. Many are already resigned to leaving jobs they have cherished for years. It’s left a real sense of dread among staff.”
The King and Queen Consort are understood not to have stayed at Windsor since the death of his mother in September. The late Queen’s ladies in waiting and personal staff at the Royal Stud in Sandringham, Norfolk, are among those whose jobs are thought to be at risk. The King has still not revealed his plans for the breeding facility, despite agreeing for 14 horses to be sold.
Many Windsor staff had been preparing to welcome the Queen back from her summer break at Balmoral when she died. Insiders say the King and Camilla have “no desire” to stay at the castle in the near future. William and Kate, who moved to a cottage on the Windsor estate to be closer to the Queen, are also said to be unwilling to move in.
Royal watchers now wonder whether the King will keep the castle for weekends, as well as Sandringham. He also has homes at Balmoral, Highgrove, Gloucs and a cottage in Wales. Camilla also has a six-bedroom house in Wiltshire for when her family visits.
