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King Charles‘ latest scandal threatens his royal legacy as the monarch struggles with distasteful allegations from Highgrove staff amid his cancer battle. For years, the King of the UK and the Commonwealth has stood as the backbone of his Highgrove House, ensuring the smooth-running of the estate, its iconic gardens, and the royal products it churns out yearly for the Duchy Originals brand, including honey, jams, and wine. While these products have become staples in households around the UK and among royal fans, the monarch’s staff feel undercompensated for their hard work.
Disturbing complaints of staff shortages in Highgrove gardens have seeped through the media for years, raising questions about the royal family’s treatment of their staff. In the last three years alone, eleven out of a 12-man gardening team employed at the Highgrove 15-acre garden have quit on King Charles, who has been battling cancer for months.
Friends Defend King Charles’ Treatment of Overworked Staff
This mass exodus has been linked to the monarch’s insatiable demands and impolite treatment of staff members. These reports have cited the 76-year-old’s routine patrol of Highgrove Garden, armed with secateurs, a notebook, and his scathing words, ready to weed out anything that seemed out of place.
However, those close to the monarch highly contest these assertions. They believe that rather than vilifying the king, the alleged bullying claims only highlighted his keen attention to detail. Defending King Charles, one friend cited the infamous ragwort incident, pointing out that the plant, though attractive, was a weed no less, spreads quickly, and is poisonous to some animals. Hence, it “hardly seems unreasonable to request its removal.” The explosive issue about Charles ordering a particular staff member to never appear in front of him again, thanks to his lack of knowledge, had a similar justification.
Despite attempts from the king’s friends to defend him against bullying allegations, netizens are not so forgiving. They consider it no coincidence that 11 out of 12 staff members chose to quit on King Charles within a short period. The order of events only indicates an obvious pattern, which not-so-coincidentally has been observed among other royal family members.
King Charles Faces the Worst After Highgrove Scandal
Royal watchers have cited the case of King Charles’ estranged son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, who have faced similar bullying allegations from former employees. Additionally, the couple has faced scrutiny for their inability to retain staff, having lost over 22 employees since their royal step-back, due to their alleged bullying, difficult demands, and hostility. Charles’ bullying allegations have netizens convinced the 40-year-old “gets his behaviour” from his royal dad. One enraged royal fan said it best, writing,
“The Harry apple hasn’t fallen far from the Charles tree. Rude, entitled, and inconsiderate.”
Given questionable reports about the King, coupled with his latest scandal, some netizens are concerned Charles has done more harm to the monarchy in less than three years than his late mom did in a lifetime. Although the palace has remained silent amid these allegations, the portrayal of King Charles as a royal bully has altered the perception of him in the eyes of many, potentially damaging his reputation. For someone nearing his end amid his cancer battle, King Charles’ staff bullying allegations call for a certain urgency, as such a report isn’t a good legacy to leave behind. This is especially true for the British monarch, considering how much the royal family values reputation.
Hence, having the world remember him as the monarch who underpaid, overworked, and mistreated his staff is the worst possible legacy King Charles could leave behind, as his cancer battle leaves his future uncertain.
King Charles’ Highgrove Scandal Explained
Based on the accounts of eight former gardeners interviewed by The Sunday Times, the reports also criticized King Charles’ strict demands. In one instance, he demanded the removal of a single ragwort growing near an outdoor swimming pool. He has also questioned seemingly trivial issues like the gardener’s failure to cultivate delphiniums, rescue treasured plants like axalea, or even missing nametags from magnolias, mostly sent out via his written notes.
Workers often found these demands and feedback “impolite and demoralizing.” At some point, one Highgrove staff member rose in protest, complaining about how their understaffed team struggled to meet King Charles’ strict demands, which often left overworked staff injured. His complaints necessitated a royal investigation, followed by the proposed access to mental health support and counselling for staff.
The majority of these demands vilifying the monarch note that the conditions at Highgrove gardens weren’t always so distasteful. They traced the wide gap between the past and present to the death of the former key staff at Highgrove and King Charles’ dear pal, Paddy Whiteland, who died 28 years ago. Under Whiteland’s management, the estate flourished, with Charles infamously attributing the success of Highgrove to Whiteland.
Perhaps his seeming dissatisfaction with subsequent staff members hinges on the fact that he’s yet to find a gardener who could fill his old pal’s shoes and handle the gardens with the same care and precision. Regardless, his reaction to the “less-than-impressive standards” could cost him much more than the mass exodus of disgruntled employees, with his lifelong legacy on the line.
