King Charles Under Fire as 11 of 12 Gardeners Quit Over Low Pay and ‘Unrealistic’ Demands
Former staff spoke out about the working conditions, saying the King's attention to detail and high standards often led to multiple rounds of feedback.
It’s no secret that King Charles is a gardening savant, known for his thorough care of the many estates under his watch. Since acquiring Highgrove House in 1980, he has transformed its once-mundane kitchen garden and overgrown woods into a stunning showcase of organic plots, wildflowers, and orchards. Given the King's love for his lush lands, one would expect him to treat his staff well. On the contrary, a scathing report has revealed that his gardeners at Highgrove have quit, citing low wages and 'unrealistic' work demands.
A bombshell report by The Sunday Times revealed that 11 out of the 12-member gardening team have quit working at the royal estate. The report also noted that, as of July 20, half of the staffers were earning only the minimum wage in the UK. Former staff spoke out about the strenuous working conditions, saying the King's meticulous attention to detail and high standards often led to multiple rounds of feedback on horticulture and planting—leaving them feeling overwhelmed. Among those who stepped down were two heads of gardens, a deputy head gardener, and a longtime staffer who had worked with Charles for decades.
When one gardener allegedly failed probation after revealing a lack of knowledge about a flower, Charles reportedly yelled, "Don’t put that man in front of me again." Meanwhile, one filed a grievance against the management, saying they were "under-resourced and constantly struggling to fulfill the King’s request." Their complaint said staff "developed physical injuries trying to keep up, and that the team suffered from low morale." Jack Stooks, a former senior gardener at Highgrove, told the New York Post, "The world of gardening is known for its low pay and I ended up leaving Highgrove after 20 years... I had a back operation and, for want of a better word, did experience getting burnt out as a result, as you would doing certain jobs regularly."
As Charles caught whiff of the backlash, the King's Foundation brought in a specialist human resources consultancy, which upheld claims about staff shortages, improper management practices, and low wages. A spokesperson from the Foundation told People magazine, "At The King’s Foundation, we take staff welfare extremely seriously and strive to be an exemplary employer. Our staff turnover is well below the national average, as is the number of formal grievances raised. For the gardening team at Highgrove specifically, we regularly review guidance from the Professional Gardeners Guild for pay benchmarking."
Highgrove Estate is the private residence of the King and Queen Camilla in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. The monarch acquired it when the Duchy of Cornwall purchased the estate from Maurice Macmillan, son of former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Originally built in the late 18th century, the house underwent neo‑classical remodeling under Charles in 1987 and features nine bedrooms, a swimming pool, and even a steel-lined panic room for security. He opened the gardens for public tours in 1996, welcoming around 40,000 visitors annually.
