King Charles Reacts to Claims He’s ‘Intensely Demanding’ Amid Reports William Will Take the Throne ‘Sooner Than Expected’
A lot of the recent reports about King Charles have been about his illness. That’s to be expected; he is the King, and he has cancer. People are interested in how he’s doing. And then there’s the feud with his youngest son, Prince Harry, which looks like it might actually be resolved sooner rather than later. So that’s taken all the spotlight. Recently, however, there were other kinds of reports about the King, and they weren’t all that favorable.
The Sunday Times claimed that a recent investigation showed the gardening staff at King Charles’ Gloucestershire home, Highgrove House, has seen quite a bit of turnover and complaints of a toxic workplace. King Charles himself was pointed out to be “intensely demanding,” often involving himself in minute horticultural details and sending critical notes written in thick red ink.
Related: Here’s what each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth
All of this while the staff is “overwhelmed and underpaid,” leaving them “unable to fulfill” the King’s demands. A former employee even submitted a formal complaint that stated: “There is little management of His Majesty the King’s expectations, and I know I would not be allowed to say we are understaffed.”
However, sources close to the King pushed back against the claims. “There seems to be quite a few disgruntled former staff members who are out to make trouble for the King’s Foundation,” a source told Vanity Fair. “The king loves Highgrove and is very proud of everything he has created here,” they added.
There’s some truth to the matter, as an independent investigation has found evidence of “staff shortages” and “poor” management practices. Whether that can or should be directly attributed to King Charles has been a matter of discussion. Former senior gardener Jack Stooks, who was quick to defend the King. “I think the stance toward the king is unfair,” Stooks told The New York Post. “I don’t think this should be aimed quite at him. He’s employed the foundation, and, yes, he’s part of the foundation, but they are running the garden.”
Reports come as royal experts are preparing for a changing of the guard, with Prince William widely expected to take the throne “sooner than expected.” And the expectations for what he will be like as a King paint him in a very different light than his father. Helena Chard told Geo News, “Prince William’s most important role is that of dad and husband. However, he is paving the way to be King sooner than anticipated. He is in tune with the public and the younger generation. He realizes that to justify the existence of the royal family, the heaviest burden will soon fall at his feet. This weight always rests on the king or queen.”
Ironically, on working with Prince William, his secretary for his role as the Duchy of Cornwall, Will Bax, described William as “pretty demanding” to work with, but in a “great” and “ambitious” way in an interview with The Telegraph. “He’s easy to follow because he’s got great conviction and personality, and he really wears his heart on his sleeve in terms of social interest and his desire to have a positive impact in the world,” Bax said.
Cut from the same cloth or very different? We shall see.
