About 100 people who worked for Prince Charles could lose their jobs now he has become King, a labor union said Wednesday.
Workers at Clarence House, the King's former official London residence while he was Prince of Wales, were informed that they could be made redundant on Monday, The Guardian reported, citing an unnamed source. The notices were handed out while a thanksgiving service for Queen Elizabeth was being held in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, the newspaper reported.
Those at risk of losing their jobs include private secretaries and people working in finance and communications roles, it added.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) called for an “immediate halt to the redundancy process,” adding that some of the employees had worked there for decades.
“[The] decision to announce redundancies in the Royal Household during the period of national mourning is nothing short of heartless,” the PCS said.
While workers supporting the Royal family at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other palaces are exempt from a number of employment laws, “it does not appear that Clarence House is, so we will be ensuring that all measures are taken to protect any staff, who choose to join PCS,” the union added.
As the reigning monarch, King Charles will move his official residence to Buckingham Palace.
And while some staffing changes were to be expected, “the scale and speed” at which potential redundancies had been announced was “callous in the extreme,” PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said in a statement.
Serwotka added that it was unclear what staffing levels Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, will need when he move his offices to Clarence House
“Many of these staff will be the same people who have so diligently supported the new King during this period of mourning, working extremely hard over recent days only to be given redundancy notices as thanks,” PCS added.
The union said it would visit Clarence House “as soon as possible” to provide staff with information on their legal rights and the support available to them.
Clarence House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
