Highgrove gardeners quit ‘overwhelmed and underpaid’ amid King Charles demands

Of 12 full-time gardeners employed in 2022, 11 have departed, including two heads of gardens and a deputy head gardener who left within a year, according to a new report in The Sunday Times. The exodus included one staffer who had served the King for decades. Another failed his probation after revealing insufficient knowledge about a particular flower, reportedly losing Charles's trust.

"Don't put that man in front of me again," the monarch said of him. 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.

One staffer launched a grievance in late 2023, stating the team was "overwhelmed, under-resourced and constantly struggling to fulfil the King's requests." The complaint detailed how staff had developed physical injuries trying to keep up and suffered from low morale.

"There is little management of HMTK [His Majesty the King's] expectations, and I know I would not be allowed to say we are understaffed," the grievance told the publication.

Charles is thought to maintain control through morning walkabouts where he issues instructions to be written up and acted upon before his next return. He is said to send detailed notes in "thick red ink" to garden staff, with memos that are "strikingly specific and emotional."

These include demands to move "a single, unacceptable ragwort from the perimeter of his swimming pool" and complaints that staff's failure to cultivate his beloved delphiniums had caused "an almighty disappointment and spoilt one of his favourite moments of the summer."

The King allegedly corrects grammar in staff reports, underlining incorrect letters with a two-word objection: "No!" When addressing him, memos must use "YM" (Your Majesty) and avoid phrases Charles considers improper.

Whilst some notes express "giddy delight" at particular specimens with multiple exclamation marks, staff describe the overall approach as demoralising. "There was anger boiling at the surface, very impatient, no politeness at all," one gardener alleged.

According to the publication, the King's Foundation commissioned WorkNest, an independent HR consultancy, to investigate the allegations.

The investigation found evidence of "staff shortages" and "poor" management practice, confirming that pay was "an issue for recruitment and retention." It revealed that staff turnover was so severe that the gardens had been given "carte blanche" to hire temporary workers.

The report recommended "management training for all managers", "mental health support and counselling" for all employees, and a pay review. Despite these recommendations, insiders told the Times that issues have persisted at the estate.

The charity has eliminated the title of "head of gardens", appointing only a "head gardener" after successive departures, and removed the deputy head gardener role entirely. Two more staff walked out around the start of this year, forcing the gardens to rely on staff from Charles's other estates, career-changers and local volunteers.

Constantine "Costa" Innemée, the executive director of Highgrove and one of Charles's most trusted advisers, has been central to enforcing the King's wishes. Under his leadership, staff are understood to be instructed to prioritise Charles's demands even when they seem impractical. "If the King wanted a plant to be moved from A to B but the gardener's professional opinion was that it would die as a consequence, Innemée's position would be to insist on it anyway," one former gardener claimed.

When a gardener attempted to inform Charles during a walkabout that cultivating magnolias in a particular way would require additional staff, Innemée later summoned this person. According to the grievance, he "shouted at" the gardener and subjected them to a "humiliating" dressing-down, though Innemée maintains he was merely being "firm." The subsequent WorkNest report made no finding on the matter.

Despite generating nearly £6million in turnover last financial year, higher than any of Charles's other properties, the gardens continue to operate with minimal resources. The budget for the gardens remains in the low hundreds of thousands of pounds, whilst permanent staffing numbers have stayed at 12, only slightly more than the eight employed two decades ago.

Charles was sufficiently aware of staffing problems that he reportedly proposed recruiting Ukrainian war refugees and "semi-retired and retired men and women" as volunteers. The estate has expanded to include private dining, black-tie galas, "sound healing" classes, and tours every half hour during peak months.

Staff are also asked to manage the King's personal requests, including tending plants by his pool and making jam from fruit at the house. One person said they could not discuss their time at Highgrove, citing mental health reasons for consigning that period to the past.

GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.