On Wednesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the one-day-only Sandringham Flower Show in Norfolk. They arrived in a carriage and seemingly had a great time chatting with flower-show enthusiasts. One man named Phil Smith even showed Camilla his special tattoos with Camilla and Charles’s royal cyphers.
You would think, given the recently-published Times of London story about Charles’s Highgrove garden chaos, that Charles would avoid gardening/greenery events for a time. I would guess that Charles’s people advised him to keep this appearance though. Even though the Times story got wider play, it doesn’t feel like it fundamentally moved the dial on public perception of Charles. Sure, it’s astounding that Charles refuses to pay his gardeners well, and that he treats them with such rudeness and disdain to the point there’s been a mass exodus. It’s astounding that Charles suggested that they replace the gardeners with volunteering seniors and Ukrainian refugees. It’s astounding that the situation is so bad IN A GARDEN that crisis-managers were hired and investigations were launched, and there was a recommendation that gardeners should receive mental health support. Well, following the Times’ report, a source made a huffy statement to Vanity Fair:
A spokesman for the King’s Foundation told the Sunday Times: “At The King’s Foundation, we strive to be an exemplary employer and are proud to regularly report very high satisfaction rates in our annual staff survey. Our staff turnover is well below the national average, as is the number of formal grievances raised.”
Buckingham Palace did not comment on the article, which the newspaper said is based on interviews with eight sources who have worked as gardeners or “have detailed knowledge of the estate’s inner workings.”
However, a source close to King Charles told Vanity Fair, “There seems to be quite a few disgruntled former staff members who are out to make trouble for the King’s Foundation. The King loves Highgrove and is very proud of everything he has created here.”
“Our staff turnover is well below the national average…” Eleven out of twelve full-time gardeners quit!! How is that not ABOVE the national average? “Disgruntled former staff members” huh? But when disgruntled former staff members were making vague, unspecific accusations about the Duchess of Sussex (she “bullied” people but they could never explain how, she looked at them and made them cry), their stories were amplified and taken as gospel! It’s weird how the Highgrove story was full of really specific details about things Charles said, did and wrote, and it’s being waved off as “making trouble.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla visits the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024982090, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024982134, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024982163, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024982186, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024983723, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Phil Smith, a royal super-fan, shows his tattoos of Royal cyphers, on the day Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Sandringham Flower Show, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024993696, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla reacts as she receives flowers from Phil Smith, a royal super-fan, on the day Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Sandringham Flower Show, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1024993722, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Radburn/Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House, Norfolk, Britain July 23, 2025.,Image: 1025004743, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Malcolm Clarke/Avalon
Or more likely he’s a bully who should be ashamed of himself. Maybe there should be a HR investigation into work place bullying and results made public. He should be sanctioned, written warning, relevant training and or sacked!
He’s the king, legally he can do no wrong.
Any legal historians out there know if there has ever been an R v. R case?
Not in modern times at least. All cases are brought by the Crown’s lawyers.
Back in 1911 George V sued writer Edward Mylius for libel over dredging up an old myth about him having been wed as a young sailor thus making his marriage to the Queen bigamous and his children illegitimate. George prided himself on being a faithful husband, unlike his father, and had enough. He wanted to take the stand himself but government officials convinced him to not by stating that since the case is brought by the Crowns lawyers and all that it would be inappropriate, if not illegal, for him to appear as a witness.
When they talked about Charles and his love of gardening – I genuinely assumed he was out there getting his hands dirty and had built the gardens over years of his own hard work.
I did not think they meant he “runs” a garden with all work delegated to hard working and too few staff, treats them like medieval serfs ie they are tied to the land and don’t get paid, and tours it regularly with said staff to berate them, makes intense and un achievable demands based on the pay offered and the amount of staff available and then leaves them raging letters letting them know that they ruined the kings one special moment of the entire season. As if his entire life hasn’t been bought and paid for special moments. Paid for by people like the gardeners he’s unwilling to pay a decent wage. Which is also why he’s upset. He’s getting like kids on a gap year who need to make money and who helped their grandma one time in her garden. He’s not attracting talent.
Serfs and slaves. First words that come to mind. That and the dude truly believes EVERYONE is beneath him. And yes, over the years, we were led to believe he was “hands on.” That the people of UK put up with this crap blows my mind.
Using “disgruntled” minimizes the anger or intensity of bad feelings (engendered by the horrible boss) the “disgruntled former employees” actually have. They’re not just grumbling, they quit you idiot Chuck. How is 92% turnover of garden staff below the national average? So, lying about it too? The presence of an HR Dept was a surprise from the Oprah interview – but Colbert made mince of that by putting it in a proper context. One big reason cheapskate Chuck will never achieve the popularity of QEII is that he will not match her generosity within the extended family, or even his own son.
Hang on now – presumably this has been going on for years. So, where was the Queen when all of this was going on – she, supposedly, had to reprimand Meghan because she was displeased with the way Meghan interacted with the gardening staff, so why wasn’t Lizzie chastising Charlie as well?
How stupid. Of course it’s coming from disgruntled former employees. They’re disgruntled because they’ve been paid poorly, treated terribly and couldn’t stand it anymore.
Right? 🤣..
“ Eleven out of twelve full-time gardeners quit!”
Translate the gardeners to taxpayers and the House of Windsor will soon cease to exist.
The King loves Highgrove and is very proud of everything he has created here.”
Once again Kingy is giving the orders from above and NONE of the back breaking work is his altho he takes the credit!
I noticed that wording too. “… that HE has created.” Like God himself.
I hate the term disgruntled employees. It makes it seem like the former employees are the only ones in the wrong but the truth is, even if they go back and do something horrendous like shoot the place up, it’s bc they were truly shitted on by their employers.
Disgruntled just means dissatisfied and unhappy with one’s situation. It’s the offenders who wave it away by saying “they’re just disgruntled.” But people don’t ask, “why are they disgruntled?”
Is the source close to Charles Camilla. Charles appeared on camera bullying staff
Sure blame the people you under paid and bullied cause it’s their fault and they just want to make trouble. Windsors and truth don’t go together. Maybe more will quit at his other homes.
I mean, of course they’re disgruntled, they’ve been treated like shit and been ignoring every time they tried to bring it up.
Also employment surveys are just employees telling the big bosses what they want to hear. Not that people can’t be honest in them (I know multiple people who are) but generally speaking, that is the case.
Are they…disgruntled bc they’re underpaid, overworked, and have an ahole for a boss? because that would explain it.
I think something to keep in mind is that these people just……look at the world entirely differently from us. And I don’t say that as an excuse, because its not – its more just a commentary on their insane privilege and entitlement. Charles does not view his behavior as problematic or “bullying” because these people are lucky to work at Highgrove and Highgrove must be perfect and they are lucky he is bothering to write them a note at all because he is, after all, CHARLES, the Prince of Wales, the King (depending on the timeline) and therefore it is his DUTY to want perfection at his estate and it is the peasants’ DUTY to obtain that perfection.
Same thing with the Waleses and their vacation to a certain extent – they’re not doing anything wrong, people should WANT them to take extended luxury vacations, its their RIGHT as prince and princess of wales, etc.
These people do not live in the same world as the rest of us and its becoming a big problem for them.
It may be their RIGHT to behave extravagantly but when they’re being funded by the public purse, sooner or later, the discontented cannot be held back especially when the circumstances of the majority’s lives have not improved at all.
There are more people in Britain than there are rich ones. There is only one monarch against tens of millions of peasants. It wouldn’t do to annoy the already discontented. They have the numbers.
So yes, greater income inequality and increasing poverty is becoming a big problem for the out of touch Windsors.
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Exactly! I feel like we’re kind of hitting a rubber meets the road point – the Wales may *think* they have this right for these luxury vacations, and Charles may think he has this right to treat his staff horribly (all for Highgrove of course), but there are many people who don’t agree with that. and its a lot harder to hide these things – the vacations, the treatment of staff – with social media.
Charles is a bully.
Yes. As was Phillip, as is William.
OK, fine, a Kings Foundation spokesperson says “their” employees are “highly” satisfied. But Highgrove Gardens are just a tiny part of the Foundation, and arguably their staff have some of the highest rates among any Foundation staff of direct interaction with Charles.
From the Foundation website: “We advocate for the change His Majesty wants to see in the world. Cutting across a range of sectors, disciplines and levels, The King’s Foundation represents areas where The King has been decades ahead of the curve, including in education and sustainability, farming and agriculture, traditional arts and crafts, health and wellbeing, and architecture and urbanism. We provide education, public services and consultancy across these sectors, in the UK and around the world.” https://kings-foundation.org/about-us/
Also, if you look at the About Us tab under Vacancies, Dumfries House is gaspings for groundworkers, gardeners, lodge managers, and more. You need to scroll down the Vacancies page to get to “Vacancies at Highgrove” and they seem to be completely replacing their kitchen staff, from Head Chef on down, but strangely nothing about the gardens staff…. And all the pictures next to the vacancies are men, no women need apply I guess….
😳
And the rats keep mentioning staff turnover of the Sussexes when THE KING can’t keep his own staff.
I’d be concerned about the vacant kitchen staff. Doing away with everyone means NO ONE wants to work at Highgrove.
Maybe that’s why the Rottweiler invited Rick Stein to cook for her at Highgrove. They had no kitchen staff 😂😂😂
So a source close to the king is happy to explain and complain to the American Vanity Fair. Sure. Very cozy. Never complain never explain….except through sources to friendly publications.
If you had any doubt that Vanity Fair is part of the American propaganda machine for the Windsors 😏🥱🥱
Why do you have so many disgruntled former staff members, Chuck?
Not their king. This kind of vote is what really matters. People are going to stop working for the monarchy when the monarchy has stopped working.
He thinks refugees and seniors should volunteer to tend his garden???? What an out of touch ass!
Where’s the outrage, Brits? Here we have a king who is not held accountable for anything, treats his employees like dirt, and takes money out of the pockets of hard-working citizens. Remember how enraged Britons were after QEII kept silent over the handling of Diana’s death? That rage should be aimed at Chuck. There’s no need for his selfish and entitled behavior, and it would send a message to lazy Peg to shape up. Maybe.
Of course there were very little formal grievances. The staff that spoke out said there was no sense in even filing such a thing because what the king says goes.
Who else would the complaints come from? From disgruntled employees, of course. They make him look so stupid again …. but they probably prefer to portray him as stupid rather than tyrannical.
When is the bullying investigation going to take place?
Kings do not mob. They only punish rebellious people with beheadings, floggings, social ostracism, banishment and confiscation of property. They are allowed to do this, they are above the law. Relics of a bygone era of injustice, classism, racism and misogyny. But they’re still above the law, aren’t they? Apparently people think that’s marvellous.
Literally ZERO surprise.
I’m still aghast that he called for volunteers to “play their part in caring for our green space” so he could get free labor in his gardens and the UK press and populace just…shrugged? Even for a king that level of entitlement is off the f’ing charts!!
Not to mention, one great argument for the retention of the royal family WOULD be “Oh they employ so many people and take such great care of them”—it’s the craziest PR fail that they’re such cheapskates with salaries and I don’t know why anyone puts up with it
Come on peons, they should be grateful to work with the King.