King’s PR team faces axe in Buckingham Palace move as up to 100 staff are warned of redundancy

The entire King Charles news agency at Clarence House has been told their jobs are on the line as a result of his move to Buckingham Palace.

They are among 100 distraught employees – including those in research and finance – who have sent letters in recent days warning them of resignation following the accession of the former Prince of Wales to the throne.

Previously, they had only been told that a consultation process would legally have to begin as a result of the Queen’s death.

Now, dozens of people have been specifically told their jobs are under threat as the process of merging the king’s former household at Clarence House with the existing team at Buckingham Palace begins.

Clearly, the move has upset and concerned many employees, some of whom have worked for the royal family for decades.

The monarch’s team of just over 100 people is known for being close-knit and hardworking. A former royal staffer said, “I know people there are concerned and upset.”

A number of personal employees are expected to cross the road to Buckingham Palace, as well as a handful of people in senior positions.

But that means that dozens more are going through a difficult and uncertain time in the run-up to Christmas.

A royal aide said: ‘We are doing absolutely everything we can to protect and care for them and anyone who cannot be accommodated elsewhere will be paid above the statutory redundancy payment.’

Palace sources said the potential layoffs were “unfortunately inevitable” as a result of the change in rule.

Buckingham Palace, which employs more than 1,000 staff, is unaffected because employees work for the sovereign, whoever they may be.

The new Prince of Wales – Prince William – already has his own team at Kensington Palace, leaving the loyal Clarence House team caught between ‘a rock and a hard place’.

“Unfortunately, the integration process means the roles at Clarence House, the household of the former Prince of Wales, are no longer necessary,” explains a royal aide.

Senior officials say they are trying to find as many employees as possible for new positions at Buckingham Palace, although they say they are “aware of staff numbers” at the taxpayer-funded institution, and it is clear that not everyone can be accommodated .

They are also looking for roles with charities founded by or with ties to the former Prince of Wales.

Affected personnel will be allowed to remain in their positions until the New Year as the operation at Clarence House comes to an end.