We’ve heard about King Charles’ vision for a “slimmed-down monarchy” for years, but that’s not just in relation to the number of working royals. The plan will affect household staff as well, and The Independent reports that the king plans to cut middle-management staff by as much as 20 percent to increase efficiency.
Both Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, are said to disapprove of what they believe are too many staff members doing similar jobs, according to The Mail on Sunday. The cuts will reportedly impact “dozens” of employees across Buckingham Palace, Sandringham, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral.
Charles is conscious of how much the royal family costs the U.K. taxpayer; the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant totaled £86.3 million from 2020 to 2021. “There is a real feeling that the staffing at all the palaces is too heavy,” a source told The Mail on Sunday. “There are far too many assistants to assistants. The King and Queen would prefer to pay people proper wages top to bottom but have less people. For instance, there are chefs for them and chefs for the staff. Why, they ask, can’t there be one lot of kitchen staff for everyone?”
Camilla in particular will have a key role in overseeing the changes in royal staffing, with the source adding that she “cannot abide too many people doing the same jobs.” The issue has been raised with Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, the Master of the Household. He and Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, were put in charge of the period of transition following the Coronation, and Camilla wishes to have the royal household adhere to the “Clarence House way” of operations, referring to her and Charles’ home, Clarence House.
“It is not about cuts,” a senior figure told The Evening Standard. “It is about getting the best value for money from those on the payroll. Sometimes less is more.”
According to The Mail on Sunday, just under 500 permanent workers were employed by the monarchy at the end of March across the royal households, which means, if figures reported are correct, around 100 could stand to lose their jobs.
