Leaky pen and staff job cuts: King Charles under scrutiny

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Public and Commercial Services Union called the royals’ decision to announce the job losses during a period of mourning “nothing short of heartless.” “While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme,” the union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said In a statement, Clarence House said that following Charles’ accession, operations of his and Camilla’s household “have ceased” and “as required by law, a consultation process has begun.” “Our staff have given long and loyal service and, while some redundancies will be unavoidable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for the greatest possible number of staff,” the statement added. The Guardian said one unnamed member of Charles’ staff told the newspaper that “everyone is absolutely livid … people were visibly shaken by it.” The criticism added to negative press for the 73-year-old monarch after two videos showing him visibly irritated by a leaky pen and a pen holder went viral on social media in recent days. Charles was heard exclaiming “Oh god I hate this!” and muttering “I can’t bear this bloody thing … every stinking time.” The video came after another pen-related incident on Saturday, when the new monarch was seen gesturing in irritation at his staff when a pen holder got in his way as he signed a document during his accession ceremony.