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

The CHARITY that employs them is paying NMW, a sum set by the government, for a job they are not forced to take or stay in. Other, better paid jobs are available.

You'd think so but in a world of Royalist forelock-tugging, cap-doffing, and compulsory "Sir"-ing (apologies, but sometimes the best words are the sharpest), the Royals remain above criticism. And we peasants again, sorry, but it's the right word - are expected, in our infinite serfdom, to be grateful for the crumbs that fall from the groaning table, funded by the sweat of our brows, now and across the generations.

And coming after the Duchy of Cornwall scandal slumlord behaviour, excessive rent-taking from charitable bodies and others we really shouldn’t be surprised anymore. The truth is out, for any who have eyes to see.

I imagine Camilla is the target of his fury tonight "all the bloody time " as he kicks over an Allium in the border in a fit of pique, muttering darkly about the ingratitude of the masses.

I believe the problem is , nothing but a convenient excuse to slag off Charles!!

I’m not Graham he’s a Cambridge graduate who, if he thought it worth his while, could win any argument on here with ease. I’ve met him, and he’s a genuinely lovely man: passionate, articulate, and utterly committed to his cause. People like him are the cornerstone of our representative democracy informed, engaged, and unafraid to speak truth to power. If there was justice in the world he would be knighted - not that he would want one - instead we get Sir David Beckham.

🤣

Dear lord, you do sound bitter and frankly weird. And speak for yourself. I've had a highly successful career and a very nice life, built from next to nothing, as has my husband. How the royal family lives and their assets hasn't affected our lives or careers at all, and I have not needed their crumbs or anything else from them.

The elected governments in charge from time to time, with all their real power, are the ones who can make the changes you want. If the RF was abolished tomorrow, it would make hardly a dent in the lives/needs/wants of the country's citizens. All we would have would be the end of hundreds of years of fascinating, colourful history that makes the UK unique; and the start of some bleak republican head of state - a pig who will very soon put the human clothes on, as has happened in just about every republic in history.

Your last paragraph is frankly sick. What are you suggesting, Camilla is a DV victim?

When I see the endless acres of wild speculation about Harry and Meghan from half the posters on here, forgive me if I indulge just once myself. I mean, if we all stop speculating, what are we left with? Might as well shut the whole place down and do an AIBU on: “I have a single ragwort growing next to my pool should I pull it out myself, or summon the staff with the silver bell and have them remove it while playing a string quartet?”.

You don't get the irony of wanting a knighthood for a republican? 😂

Explain what’s wrong with Sir David Beckham.

Said in the spirit of humour, of course and anyway, in that analogy, it’s the allium that’s getting it. Somewhere in my loft I’ve got a dog-eared copy of My King and I by the late Scottish Labour MP Willie Hamilton (long gone now), and honestly, my views over nearly 50 years haven’t changed... just hardened like well-established bindweed deep-rooted and not shifting any time soon.

I'll have weird - you're not the first to say so !

It’s a joke obviously. It'll be the President’s Medal on Republic Day, handed out by the first President of the UK: William Windsor himself. After the 2032 referendum, he graciously agreed part of the transition deal to be both the last monarch and the first president. Very dignified. Very seamless. Very British.

I don’t recognise any of the stuff you’re on about here. I think you have a really warped world-view.

Be a peasant if you want to, but speak only for yourself!

Who on earth are you mixing with if you feel oppressed by forelock tugging and cap doffing? Get some new friends! I’m a moderate monarchist and I don’t know anyone who thinks or behaves in that way.

This all sounds like the fevered fantasies of a very stressed mind to me. Blimey!

It’s not that he’s done anything wrong, exactly. It’s just that the whole campaign for a knighthood feels about as subtle as a foghorn in a library. And really, if you have to work that hard to look effortlessly worthy... maybe the honour should go to someone who doesn’t.

• tattoos they look horrible on anyone.

“They r a bunch of c–ts. I expected nothing less. It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would have got something like this 10 years ago.”

“Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke… F–king joke

I'm back from my lovely garden party obviously which was very nice and may have had a few G&Ts.

Vera, I sincerely hope that’s all it is - that was a worrying post! 😲🤣

You don't know what an analogy is, clearly.

I imagine Camilla is the target of his fury tonight

It's very clear what you meant.

Don't worry after this thread I'm retiring from MN again it's a one -off - but talking about his anger .....

Videos of King Charles's outraged reaction circulated throughout social media after the pen-leak incident just a few days after he was declared the ruling monarch of Britain. Another incident that made news at that point of time was his irked reaction to a number of pens kept on desk where he was supposed to sign a document. In those instances his temper was excused considering the fact that the king was mourning his mother's passing away.

Christopher Andersen, the royal author, has recently written a book describing in detail about the "temper" of King Charles. In it, he describes how the monarch has broken things when he has been furiously angry. King Charles "tore the sink off the wall" in frustration after losing his cufflink down the plughole, Christopher Andersen claimed.

“He threw a chair through a window, someone else's window as well. He destroyed a sink because he lost a cufflink down the drain. One of the most shocking things I read in the book is there were such fiery exchanges between Diana and Charles that their employees were concerned for their safety,” the royal author claimed.

www.livemint.com/news/world/did-you-know-king-charles-once-tore-a-sink-from-wall-had-nanny-for-his-toy-11669394525609.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

What’s wrong with David Beckham? Victoria grew up where I now live. They stood for over an hour in our local M&S signing autographs, for a whole load of kids, while they were making their way to the football. They were smiling and chatting with the kids. Hats off to them I say.

He has tattoos, which look “horrible on anyone”. Apparently 🙄

After that day watching them and hearing other locals say the same about seeing the Beckhams do similar, I’ll not have a word said against them.

This thread makes other RF threads look positively sane!

The Telegraph has picked up the story, offering a credited rehash of the Sunday Times piece. What’s striking, though, is the comment section1,434 comments and counting (and you have to be a paid subscriber to post). I’ve struggled to find a single comment in his defence. Instead, it’s full of self-described former monarchists people who adored the Queen but have clearly fallen out of love with him and what the institution has become.

archive.ph/I0KMI

And now the Mail same thing.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14923047/Exodus-gardeners-upset-King-Charles-red-letter-feedback-beloved-Highgrove-garden.html

Because the implication is that they wont be paid or paid poorly. It beggars belief that it is set up as a charity in the first place- it is well known that Charles is very alert to chances to minimize what he pays and maximize what he can get the state to pay for - well documented for years. I see no reason why a wealthy man is getting free and low paid labour on his estate. Similar to the strike in the Queens kitchen back in the day - it does not speak well to character.

I get that, but with speculation comes a little bit of evidence? Otherwise it's just a lot of guesswork and fake news. I've not noticed anything to suggest he has a crap relationship with his grandchildren, only read stuff which says he's a fun granddad with them.