Those affected were informed shortly after the monarch’s death, but were told by the royal household that formal consultations could only begin after Monday’s state funeral. The staff who left worrying about their jobs during the period of mourning were those who had worked most closely with the monarch. According to sources, they could include some of the female hairdressers responsible for the Queen’s famous outfits and the staff who helped the monarch move between royal palaces. The development follows last week’s revelation that up to 100 workers at the King’s former official residence, Clarence House, had been told they could lose their jobs. Private secretaries and finance office and communications team staff were among those notified during the Queen’s thanksgiving at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on September 12 that their Clarence House seats were on the line. The potential royal sackings illustrate the rapid 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 in the royal household. At the same time, counseling sessions and a dedicated phone line for those distressed by the news of the Queen’s death have been made available to workers in her five household departments. Staff were told that a formal consultation was to be arranged with Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, to discuss possible redundancies among staff following Monday’s funeral at Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The palace said in its letters that no final decisions had been made but that role implications were expected. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Civil and Commercial Services Union, which represents a number of workers in the royal households, said: “Our members are extremely disappointed and saddened by this development. “They have worked for the Queen, closely, for years and are disappointed by the decision to let them go. They are already grieving the loss of His Majesty – it kicks them when they fall.” It is understood that a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday with representatives of those affected. Buckingham Palace did not respond to a request for comment. Many of those affected will likely play a role in what has been dubbed HMS Bubble – the effort to protect the Queen at the height of the Covid pandemic. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. King Charles, however, will want to bring his own staff as he takes on the responsibilities of monarch. At Clarence House, his 28 members of domestic staff include four chefs, five house managers, three valets and housekeepers and two butlers. An attempt will likely be made to move affected staff into other roles if possible. But some of those attending the Queen’s will have very specialized skills that are not easily transferable. Roles at Buckingham Palace include such rare things as a standard-bearer and a wingman responsible for maintaining the royal chimney-pieces. While there will ostensibly be a purge at Clarence House and among personal staff, the vast majority of palace workers will remain in place. Staff payroll was £23.7m in 2022. According to the 2021/22 Sovereign Grant annual report, 491 full-time people worked at the occupied royal palaces, which include Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Windsor Castle. One member of staff expected to be looked after by the royal household is the Queen’s stylist, hairdresser and aide Angela Kelly, 64, who is said to have used her grace and favor until her death. Responding to notices of redundancies at Clarence House, a spokesman said last week that some redundancies would be inevitable but that they were “working urgently to identify alternative roles for the largest number of staff”. A Royal House source said they are “working to support any staff affected by the changes following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. It wouldn’t be right to talk about individual staff members.’
