Jobs of up to 20 staff who worked closely with Queen could be at risk
Up to 20 royal staff who provided personal services to the late Queen have been told their jobs could be at risk under King Charles III, the Guardian can reveal.
Those affected were informed shortly after the monarch’s death but advised by the royal household that formal consultations could start only after Monday’s state funeral.
The staff left worrying about their jobs over the mourning period were those who had worked most closely with the monarch.
According to sources, they could include some of the all-female dressers responsible for the Queen’s famous outfits and the staff who helped the monarch move between the royal palaces.
The development follows last week’s revelation that up to 100 employees at the King’s former official residence, Clarence House, had been notified that they could lose their jobs.
Private secretaries, and staff in the finance office and communications team were among those who received notice during the thanksgiving service for the Queen at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on 12 September that their posts at Clarence House were on the line.
The potential royal redundancies illustrate the swift and brutal nature of the transition of the crown from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III.
In the case of the Queen’s personal staff, a letter was sent on behalf of Andrew Parker in his role as lord chamberlain, the most senior officer role in the royal household.
At the same time, counselling sessions and a special hotline for those distressed by the news of the Queen’s death were made available to those working in the five departments of her household.
Staff were told that a formal consultation with Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, to discuss the potential redundancies among the personal
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