King Charles reportedly evicted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from Frogmore Cottage on January 11, the day after Prince Harry’s memoir was released. It was meant to look punitive because it was punitive, a petty, vindictive father punishing his son for writing about generational trauma. Once the news came out, we learned that Charles had already offered Frogmore Cottage to Prince Andrew, apparently free of charge, solely because Charles wants to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge. Keep in mind, the Sussexes and Andrew all had valid leases on their Windsor properties, but Charles clearly doesn’t care. The palace is now openly lying to the media about what the Sussexes “paid back” for Frogmore’s renovation and the money they paid in advance for the lease. I bring this up because the Evening Standard has a new piece about how the Frogmore eviction is just one piece of a larger effort to make Charles’s freeloader family pay market-rate rent and stay barely staffed. Some highlights from the Evening Standard:
The Frogmore eviction is just the start: The eviction of Prince Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage in Windsor will be “just the start” of King Charles’s plans to slim it down and modernise, according to sources. Subsidised rents for royals — even for some working royals — will be eradicated over time, with the King expecting them to finance their own homes and “cut their cloth” over the next five years, it is understood.
Camilla’s assistance: Senior figures have told the Standard that after the period of transition following the coronation, the King, assisted by Queen Camilla, will move to tackle inefficiencies in what is being viewed as a largely overstaffed and outdated system. Vice-Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Household, and the Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens, responsible for finance, will execute the shake-up of what is described as a “top-heavy royal household”. Camilla has been overseeing the fine detail of the King’s plan to ensure that after the coronation the royal household will be run the “Clarence House way”.
Less is more: One senior figure said: “It is not about cuts, it is about getting the best value for money from those on the payroll. Sometimes less is more.” Another source added: “The King is not some sort of housing association for distant relatives.”
Financial independence?? Harry and Meghan were given use of Frogmore Cottage, a five-bedroom mansion on the Windsor estate in 2018, by the late Queen. The couple’s loss of the cottage, their only British home, is said to be just the “tip of the iceberg”. It is understood Charles is keen to reduce the number of royals with a financial dependence on the crown, especially if they do not have an active role to play.
Value for money: He wants funds from the Duchy of Lancaster, the portfolio of land, property and assets held in trust for the King, and the sovereign grant that covers the cost of royal travel on official engagements, to be spent more effectively. He also wants to pay his staff competitive salaries and pensions so that he gets the best people for the jobs. “There will be staff cutbacks. That has already started. The buzz phrase is ‘value for money,’” said the source.
No more London pads?? Several members of the extended royal family have enjoyed subsidised palace accommodation, with some having apartments that are being used by their children as “London pads”. The source said: “Over time, that is going to change. Properties will be let at commercial rates going forward and to people outside the family. Where it is in a palace environment they will of course be security vetted.”
Royals must fund themselves: Privately, the King’s senior staff have made it clear to members of the extended family that if they cannot afford where they are living, they should “cut their cloth”. “A lot of practices that have evolved during the last reign will be changing. The King is not heartless or reckless, but if the family members are not part of the core family and not working for the crown, it is fair for them to house themselves and fund themselves,” a senior figure said. The King’s focus, key figures say, is on making the monarchy “fit for purpose” over the next five years. He is working closely with his son and heir, the Prince of Wales, to achieve this.
Staff culling: One insider said: “The staffing has been on the top-heavy side. That has built up over time, with advisers to advisers and so on. That’s all going to stop. The boss wants effective people in effective positions doing effective jobs being paid appropriately.” The senior source added: “Much of what was in place doesn’t make economic sense and will be changed during the new reign.”
[From The Evening Standard]
First of all, King Charles has always been the most staff-heavy royal, followed by William and Kate. William and Kate have a HUGE staff and Kensington Palace, as a royal court, is famously dysfunctional and lazy. They literally couldn’t handle one American woman with a work ethic – they had to run her out because she was doing too much and making them look bad. Charles has barely fired anyone since becoming king – he’s still operating with most of his mother’s staff AND most of his Prince-of-Wales staff. I seriously doubt that Charles and William will cull their staff – this is about “the other royals” needing fewer staffers.
As for the whole “Windsors must pay their own way” thing… Charles is going to hate that when he sees it in practice. He’s doing to make Edward and Sophie pay market rate on Bagshot Park’s lease? What about Anne at Gatcombe? What about all of QEII’s cousins with their sweetheart deals on Kensington Palace apartments? And the Sussexes, who actually spent over $3 million to renovate, refurbish and lease one dilapidated shack in Windsor, are the first ones to be pushed out of their lease??? THAT is the signal Charles wanted to send? That even when Windsors pay their own way and pay a lot of money to keep a secure house or apartment, they’ll still be evicted? Charles is going to end up with absolutely zero family allies. And y’all know this is Camilla neighing in his ear too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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