Charles, who succeeded his mother on her death last Thursday, and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will move from Clarence House, his London home for decades, to the monarch’s main official residence, the palace of Buckingham. A spokesman for Clarence House said operations there had ceased and a process had begun to consult staff about redundancies. “Our staff have given long and loyal service and while some redundancies will be inevitable, we are urgently working to identify alternative roles for as many staff as possible,” the spokesman said. The Guardian newspaper reported that more than 100 workers had been told they could lose their jobs, some who had worked there for decades. They include personal servants such as footmen, valets, dressers and cooks, as well as clerical staff. The notices were issued even as they were working to help the new king through the accession process – including while a thanksgiving event for his mother was underway in Edinburgh, it said. Monday will be a national holiday for the Queen’s funeral. The Public and Commercial Services Association condemned the decision to announce layoffs during the mourning period as “heartless”. “While some household changes were to be expected as roles in the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is extremely harsh,” said union general secretary Mark Servotka. The Clarence House spokesman said the law required staff to be made aware of the situation as soon as possible. “Despite every attempt to delay until after the funeral, the advice remained the same,” he said. “Any staff made redundant will be offered enhanced severance payments.” Clarence House was Charles and Camilla’s official residence in London, employing 101 staff, including 31 private secretaries. “Everyone is absolutely furious, 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 shaken by this,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
