Kensington Palace Scandal: Seven Staffers Fired Or Resigned For Misconduct Allegations In Last Four Years
Over the course of the last four years, seven staffers who work in Kensington Palace have been fired or resigned for allegations of misconduct, a new report reveals.
A report from the Daily Mail found that the sacked employees helped to look after the home of Prince William and Kate Middleton and worked for a charity that manages the royal family’s properties on behalf of the British government. An investigation found that 27 employees of Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) have been fired or resigned under contentious conditions since 2015, which took place across a number of royal properties. Two of those were fired for harassment, one for fraud, five for attendance-related reasons, and eight for “failing to follow procedure.”
The employees fired from Kensington Palace were on the public side of the royal home, and did not work directly for or with the members of the royal family, the report noted.
The report caused a stir about the misconduct that could have taken place at Kensington Palace. A spokesperson for HRP said that the organization takes significant measures to look after employees and evaluate their conduct.
“In common with all responsible employers, we have a performance framework and code of conduct in place to guide our staff to deliver the highest possible standards of service to our visitors,” the spokesperson said. “As an organization with over 1,000 employees, we occasionally need to instigate disciplinary proceedings when these standards are not met.
“This is always a regrettable, but thankfully rare occurrence.”
This is not the first time that oversight of the royal family’s homes has come under scrutiny. The security has been questioned after a homeless man was able to break into Buckingham Palace and remain inside, undetected, for four hours. As the Sunday Times reported, 44-year-old Steven Lawlor somehow scaled the metal railing and made his way onto the grounds of the historic palace.
It was the latest in a series of security breaches that have called into question the protocols in place at the palace. It came not long after a terrorist group advocated for an attack on the royal family aimed at Prince George, which heightened tensions and drew even more controversy given that security measures should have been heightened.
Seven members of staff at Kensington Palace have been sacked or resigned over misconduct since 2015 https://t.co/a4VAD6eAxO pic.twitter.com/jjYtxVCqDb
— Siglov Freudivan (@DerangedRadio) May 19, 2019
There was no indication that the misconduct allegations against the Kensington Palace employees had anything to do with the royal family, or if the alleged misconduct took place at all on palace grounds.
