King Charles - disquiet at Highgrove & the gardeners’ exodus - SUNDAY TIMES INVESTIGATION

[vera99]

Murdoch is growing bolder in his dotage — first with Trump, and now with another bombshell investigation into the grasping, stagnant, and catastrophically out-of-touch Windsors. And yet we keep pumping more public money into this so-called dysfunctional family.

What you need to know

King’s demands, staff shortages and low pay led to gardener exodus at Highgrove

Royal charity which runs gardens told to offer mental health support after formal investigation

Charles has lost 11 of 12 garden staff since 2022 including two head gardeners who quit within a year

Monarch said of one worker: “Do not put that man in front of me again”

After Ukraine invasion King proposed plugging staff shortages with war refugees or the elderly

At one point half of staff were on minimum wage

https://archive.ph/fspT3#selection-1495.0-1501.155

How is he "getting low paid labour"? Is he marching them in at gunpoint? Or are they voluntarily taking jobs they can also voluntarily leave?

As I have said before, it's not a very populated area, but very upmarket, expensive to live in the area. So there wouldn't be a huge pick of available staff. Of course they're not marched there at gunpoint. How dramatic.

We have the best fun on the R F board!

All these excuses for what comes across as bullying behaviour from the King. Of course im not surprised to see certain posters either silent on this or excusing it away lol

FFS - he was heard to speculate about getting in volunteers or refugees - I see no reason why a wealthy man is looking to pay the least amount possible for labour on his estate. You may think this is fine - I think it speaks poorly to his character, as is setting this up as a charity - because lets be honest, that is way to defray costs. Regardless of why people take the jobs there - the fact that he pays so poorly is shitty.

Yes. And it does remind me of QE2 applying for some hardship fund poverty grant to heat the palaces. It had to be explained to her that the grant was for low income families, hospitals, schools. They are all ducks arse tight.

And feel entitled to live at the publics expense as far as they can get away with.

So what's the problem then? The staff are working there voluntarily, and can get a different job if they don't like it or don't think they are being paid enough.

And nearly all of them 11/12 on the gardening team have in the last couple of years, that's quite a high turnover.

You're full of compassion. If you don't like it at Highgrove, just fuck off

So what is the level of pay commensurate with their skill set? And bear in mind a charity will be paying them, so what should a charity that has to bear in mind its charitable aims be paying them?

Well yes, frankly. That's what people in the big wide world do if they want a better job that pays more. Not sit around moaning in a job they hate when they can move.

Are they moving on- having trained - to more senior jobs somewhere else? I don’t claim to know , but many charities have a training purpose and the whole point is that people move on regularly to professional roles, having gained expertise and experience.

Could that be the case here?

Yes, they have used their initiative and looked for a job that better suits them in terms of pay and their personal satisfaction. Why is this a problem?

That's what they did. 11 of 12 staff left.

Is this like the 25 odd people who have left the Sussexes in the last couple of years ?

Can you be factual. What do you pay your gardener? And what does Charles pay his?

Have we seen you talking about Meghan Markle's bullying both in the UK and the USA?

You work at highgrove for the prestige not the pay

I absolutely think a charity should be paying better than minimum wage. And I stand by what I said about the reason for this charity in the first place - its just a way to avoid paying for it himself.

I can be as factual as you want.

According to the article, Highgrove gardeners are paid between £8.36 and £9.50 an hour.

I pay my lovely talented gardener £18 an hour. Sometimes more. And I pay for her time if she has to go to the tip with garden waste. She deserves it.

BTW, CEO of Republic Graham Smith's wikipedia lists his alma mater as Open University. Are you getting him mixed up with Graham Smith, MP for Walthamstow, who went to Cambridge?

God no 😂😂😂 I didn't for a second think you were him 😂😂😂 but I did wonder if you were the poster who recommended a book by him before 😂😂

What the prestige of being some pompous knobs lackey?

He’s a terrible leader, and a terrible example of how you be British, and how to be Christian (am I wrong that he is leader in CoE).

If he wasn’t such a selfish toddler and had even a tiny bit of self awareness, he would be forgiving (Harry), generous and kind (employees) and leading by example. But he is a huge big baby, we have him dirt next <24 months as they say he is terminal.

We have the next big temper tantrum baby Wm, waiting to be king.