King Charles returns to royal estate for key event after mass exodus

King Charles faced a major setback at one of his royal estates as claims of poor work conditions and a toxic environment surfaced after a mass exodus of staffers.

The King and his wife Queen Camilla are confirmed to attend the Sandringham Flower Show on Wednesday to meet exhibitors and members of the public.

The flower show, which receives around 20000 visitors, is held annually Sandringham Park, with Sandringham House and the Church of St Mary Magdalene as a backdrop.

Charles and Camilla will be taken to the Committee tent by carriage before the show officially commences. The guest list will include members of local gardening and horticultural clubs and charity supporters. Moreover, members of Sandringham Women’s Institute, of which Queen Camilla is the President, will also be in attendance.

The outing comes just a week after the monarch lost 11 out of 12 gardeners citing shocking conditions for employees at the King’s beloved Highgrove Gardens, which is just a few hours away from the Sandringham Estate.

The Sunday Times report revealed that staffers complained about being paid minimum wage as they were “overwhelmed, under-resourced and constantly struggling to fulfil the King's requests”.

An employee detailed how “staff had developed physical injuries trying to keep up, and that the team suffered from low morale”. Meanwhile, the King was also accused of giving impolite feedback when grievances were raises.

The King’s Foundation, which now runs the Highgrove Garden, issued a statement claiming that they take “staff welfare extremely seriously and strive to be an exemplary employer”.

They also noted that they “regularly review guidance from the Professional Gardeners Guild for pay benchmarking”.