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Former staffers of King Charles have allegedly accused the monarch of presiding over a workplace that encourages “bullying and awful behaviour.”
Despite his high-profile job, Charles guards his privacy so strictly that we still don’t even know what type of cancer he’s battling.
But in 2025, it’s nearly impossible to be secretive about every aspect of an organization as sprawling and influential as the royal family.
Disgruntled Staffers Speak Out
The family is believed to employ more than 1,000 staffers in roles that range from groundskeepers to trusted private secretaries.
And many former employees have taken to the job survey site Glassdoor to share their experiences working at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.
Radar Online has collected some of the most scathing reviews, and they do not paint a very flattering portrait of Charles and his chiefs of staff.
“Avoid at all costs. Bullying and awful behaviour allowed, and ignored,” wrote one former staffer, whom Radar identifies as “a communications worker.”
“Lots of bullying and office politics across all departments expected to give up your life for the role,” an “ex-gardener for the royals” wrote.
The most detailed and scathing review came from a man who had been employed as a warden at Buckingham Palace. He alleged that the environment there was so toxic that it was likely to damage employees’ health.
“AVOID THIS PLACE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH!!! I cannot stress enough how terrible of a place this institution is to work for and the individuals that not only enable this toxic work environment but have made it their life’s mission to ensure seasonal staff feel extremely unwelcome,” this person wrote.
“Your management/leadership team are a mix of those that are usually wardens themselves during off-peak times and new staff employed to that position mainly based on how posh they sound on interview, incredibly classist,” he continued, adding:
“Suggestions are seen as unreasonable attacks. The blatant bias in performance reviews of who is their favorite/ hasn’t offended their ego can attest to that. Essentially they are extremely microaggressive and treat you like scum. There are some good apples in there but they are heavily swamped by that mess. Why gamble when the odds are against you?”
Charles’ Role
The former warden is not alleging that Charles personally treated him “like scum.” But the king is the boss of all royal employees, which means he’s been accused of allowing — if not encouraging — such behavior.
Recent years have been rife with scandal for the royals, and Charles is fighting back against the notion that he’s a relic of a bygone era, a “placeholder” potentate whose most important job is handing the torch to the next generation.
But reports like this one lend credence to the notion that Prince William and Kate Middleton are preparing to usher in a more modern monarchy.
And many former employees seem to be of the opinion that the sooner Charles gets out of the way, the better.
King Charles Accused of Creating Toxic Work Environment Amid Cancer Battle: Report was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.