King Charles was publicly confronted today after Highgrove gardeners quit due to being "overwhelmed and underpaid", according to a recent report.
The King was visiting Newmarket alongside Queen Camilla today when the tense encounter occurred.
Two members of the public immediately confronted King Charles, 76, over the Royal Family's finances.
One heckler shouted: "Why does your family cost us half a billion pounds a year, Charles?"
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|King Charles is confronted after Highgrove gardeners quit ‘overwhelmed and underpaid’
The video, shared on social media via The National, showed the monarch pausing before responding: "Ah, yes."
King Charles proceeded to move along the queue of royal fans, with Queen Camilla following closely behind.
As the monarch was moving away, the heckler asked another question: "Why do you only pay your gardeners minimum wage?"
This question was responding to a report in The Sunday Times that revealed how 11 full-time gardeners have quit working at Highgrove House, the King's private home in Gloucestershire.
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|King Charles visited Newmarket alongside Queen Camilla
The mass exodus included two heads of gardens, a deputy head gardener and one staffer who had served the King for decades.
Staff complaints cited pay as low as minimum wage, with sources claiming that in March 2022, three gardeners earned £8.91 per hour, the minimum wage, whilst two were on £9.50.
GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Despite the heckler's efforts, King Charles did not respond to the question about the Highgrove gardeners.
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|King Charles has lived at Highgrove House since 1980
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|King Charles speaking to royal fans in Newmarket
In September 2024, anti-monarchy group Republic published a report claiming that the Royal Family cost taxpayers an estimated £510million per year.
The report alleged that this includes "hundreds of millions of pounds not accounted for by the Sovereign Grant," which is the money the monarch receives from the government for official duties.
However, economic benefits from the royals include boosting tourism and supporting overseas trade.
In terms of public opinion on royal funding, a YouGov survey in 2024 found 55 per cent of those surveyed viewed the monarchy as good value for money, while only 30 per cent saw it as poor value.