A new report from a Buckingham Palace source suggests that as many as 14 of the royal family’s cooks and kitchen staff have made the decision to leave their jobs, apparently as a consequence of an increasingly heavy workload.
The source told The Sun that the staff are required to move between a handful of royal residences, meaning that they are often working extra hours and travelling back and forth between locations, making a work routine difficult. While the Queen’s official residence is at Buckingham Palace, she is spending an increasing amount of time at Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Then there’s the question of the younger generations of royals, from Charles and Camilla to William, Kate and the children – plus Prince Harry and (if certain reports are to be believed) Meghan Markle, too – all seemingly amounting to an increased workload.
‘Because the Queen now lives at Windsor Castle most of the time, chefs often have to go there, then back to Buckingham Palace for functions,’ the source revealed to the newspaper. ‘Prince Charles uses the staff to throw events. Chefs are also asked to help out at Kensington Palace for William, Kate and Harry, plus dinners at St James’s Palace.’
‘Nobody gets any time off or sees their families. It’s too much,’ they added. ‘They’ve concluded it’s not worth it any more. At least seven chefs have quit, plus other members of staff. Some are very experienced and won’t be easy to replace.’
A spokeswoman from Buckingham Palace denied reports that they were experiencing an increased turnover of staff, confirming that the average length of service was nearly seven years (which is, in fact, significantly above the UK average).
‘There’s been no change to the usual turnover of Royal kitchen staff,’ she told The Sun.
Earlier this year, The Times reported that Sir Christopher Geidt stepped down from his role as the Queen’s Private Secretary. Shortly after, Assistant Private Secretary Samantha Cohen handed in her notice, too.
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