King Charles employs hundreds of staff across his offices and the wider Royal Household but not all headlines about his leadership have been flattering.
Just days after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch came under fire when news broke of redundancies being made during the nation’s mourning period.
Some employees were left unhappy with the timing, sparking debate over whether Charles is truly a “bad employer.”
Now, a former member of staff has stepped forward to shed light on what it’s really like to work for the King behind closed doors.
According to The Daily Beast, offering a very different perspective on what it’s really like to work alongside the king.
He continues to balance one of the world’s most high-profile jobs with ongoing cancer treatment.
According to the ex-staffer, the King’s reputation as an employer is perhaps misunderstood.
Far from being careless or aloof, Charles was praised as being “always extremely well prepared.”
The former employee revealed that he does not “suffer fools” and expects competence and professionalism at all times. Yet, rather than harshness, this standard ensures focus and diligence across his office.
“As anyone who has actually worked with him will tell you, he himself is always extremely well prepared, well-read on the subject matter of people he meets and is working with, diligent and respectful of expertise,” the insider shared.
Meanwhile, the monarch has been taking a well-earned break from royal duties, retreating to Balmoral Castle for the summer as he continues his cancer treatment.
Earlier reports suggested his condition was “incurable,” but more recent updates from Buckingham Palace have been far more optimistic.
In June, royal commentator Camilla Tominey revealed that while insiders acknowledge the King’s cancer may never fully go away, they are confident it is currently “under control.”
“The talk now is that he may die with cancer, but not of cancer, following a rigorous treatment program,” royal expert Tominey recently noted, per Sky News.
According to The Guardian, many of those affected had been “working round the clock” to ensure Charles’s transition to the throne went smoothly.
Departments impacted included private secretaries, communications teams, household staff, and finance officers the very people who had supported the then-Prince of Wales for years.
In a letter obtained by the outlet, Charles’s private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, explained the shake-up bluntly.
“The change in role for our principals will also mean change for our household. The portfolio of work previously undertaken in this household supporting the former Prince of Wales’s personal interests, former activities, and household operations will no longer be carried out, and the household … at Clarence House will be closed down.
It is therefore expected that the need for the posts principally based at Clarence House … will no longer be needed.”