Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images
Want a break from American political news? Direct your attention to the U.K., where major drama is blooming. There has been a gardener exodus at King Charles’s 340-acre Highgrove estate over a toxic work environment, according to a juicy report by The Sunday Times. Of the 12 gardeners working there, 11 have left since 2022, including two heads of gardens, a deputy head gardener, and one gardener who had served the king for more than a decade.
Apparently, the green thumbs at the king’s famous garden think he’s a bad boss. One gardener told The Times he was treated like “dirt.” He continued: “It was like, you should be thankful that we’ve given you a job, and you work for the King, the highest person in the country.”
Some of the complaints relate to low pay, which one source called a “‘notorious’ fact of royal life.” Others stem from the king’s alleged micromanagement, specifically his “morning walkabouts” to inspect the property and the detailed notes he would send in thick red ink to his staff. “The memos are often strikingly specific and emotional,” the Times story reads. “Demanding, for instance, that staff move a single, unacceptable ragwort from the perimeter of his swimming pool; telling them their failure to cultivate his beloved delphiniums had caused an almighty disappointment and spoilt one of his favourite moments of the summer; and even correcting grammar.” The king, insiders told the British paper, then expects his requests to be completed by his walk the next morning.
In August 2023, one staffer launched a formal grievance, claiming the team was overwhelmed, underresourced, and constantly struggling to fulfill the king’s requests. The King’s Foundation, which runs the gardens, arranged for an external investigation, which found a “staff shortage” and “poor” management practices. It recommended management training, mental-health support and counseling, and a pay review.
It seems the king was aware that his staff was overwhelmed. After the invasion of Ukraine, he proposed that war refugees could be recruited to work in his gardens to fill the void. Although his management team didn’t take him up on the idea, Highgrove is now being operated by local volunteers and staff sent from other Royal estates. The King’s Foundation, meanwhile, is standing by their exacting man. In a statement to the Times, a representative explained that “many of our visitors and students enjoy discovering His Majesty’s personal impact on the gardens. We continue to value this input as we work to grow the educational offering at Highgrove and public interest in the gardens.”
In response to a request for comment by the Cut, a representative for the foundation added that “we take staff welfare extremely seriously and strive to be an exemplary employer.”
Stay in touch.
Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice