TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has divided opinion after publicly showing her support for King Charles III amid revelations there could be Clarence House redundancies.
Earlier this week, a UK newspaper reported that around 100 staff were told their jobs were at risk during the thanksgiving service for the Queen following her death. With Charles becoming King, it would mean that Clarence House – where he currently resides with Queen Consort Camilla – would be ‘closed down’ as the new monarch is expected to move to Buckingham Palace.
The Guardian reported that private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff were among those who had been warned about job losses. But while staff were left angry by the news, Allsopp went on Twitter to back Charles on the issue, reports The Express.
She wrote: “Supposedly it’s totally wrong for Clarence House to send letters saying ‘regretfully there will be some redundancies, but we’ll do all we can to help’ before the funeral. But it’s OK to have a go at the actual person that has lost his actual Mum for doing so. Good to know.”
An immediate response came in from consumer journalist Harry Wallop, who replied: “Oh, come on Kirstie. It was terrible.
“Terrible PR, terrible employment practice, terrible on every level. Sure, they may have to be some redundancies – but they should have waited until after the funeral. Would a fortnight's wait have made any difference?”
Allsopp responded: “Not according to an expert in the field who tweeted me. She said it’s the law to inform people as soon as you know there is likely to be a change in their employment status.”
Another follower criticising Allsopp, said: “We’re all expected to put our lives on hold – hold our tongues, show respect, funerals, operations and medical appointments cancelled, shops all closed. But sacking all your staff is ok.
“The timing of that’s A-OK, everything else has to wait. A clear double standard.”
Another detractor wrote: “I think it’s incredibly heartless so soon after HM death. The staff will be mourning too. This could have waited for another week couldn’t it?”
To which Allsopp replied: “Not legally no, and they haven’t received redundancy notices, they’ve been told the Clarence House will be wound down, this will not come as a surprise to anyone, the new Wales’s moved to Windsor before the Queen died.”
But not everyone criticised Allsopp, with several people leaping to her defence, with one person penning: “Royal households close when the office holder dies. I cannot imagine they hadn’t expected upheaval.
There was this comment: “The earliest possible notice is best practice (and a legal requirement). Surely the staff can’t have been oblivious to the nature of upcoming changes?”
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have condemned the decision to announce redundancies during the period of mourning as “nothing short of heartless”.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “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 what staffing the incoming Prince of Wales and his family might need.
"We therefore call for an immediate halt to the redundancy process.”
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