British royal family news predicts that King Charles and Queen Camilla will love every minute of their second coronation in Scotland this week. It will be low key compared to the first coronation at Westminster Abbey in May, and Scotland is the family’s second home where they feel welcome.
But being in the spotlight the glare can be harsh sometimes and the regent has been criticized for cutting back the staff at Clarence House. Now he’s under pressure after it was revealed just how much their top two staff members earn. Hint: it’s a lot!
AMP in the post
Royal Family News: Charles’ Second Coronation
King Charles’s coronation on May 6 was opulent and expensive. A reported 18 million viewers watched the coronation described by Newsner as “a historical, no-expenses-spared event to be celebrated.”
Just how much did the lavish event cost? Reports indicate that the whole shebang was around $120 million.
Royal Family News: Charles’ First Coronation Was Lavish
According to a YouGov survey, more than half of respondents thought that the royals should pay for the coronation themselves a sentiment made more real after The Guardian estimated King Charles’s fortune to be £1.8 billion.
AMP in the post
In fact the king’s coronation was twice as expensive as Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
Royal News: Royal Salaries are Huge
Now it’s emerged what the king and queen’s top two staff members, “King Charles’ private secretary Sir Clive Alderton and Queen Camilla’s private secretary, Ms. Sophie Densham,” earn, leading to more financial criticism.
They are longtime employees, and as such should be expected to be well compensated for their services. But when the annual Sovereign Grant Report was disclosed the rest of the staff were allegedly livid.
AMP in the post
“The latest report states that Alderton is paid between £205,000 and £210,000 – $260,000 and $266,000 while Sophie Densham only receives somewhere between £90,000 and £95,000 – $114,000 to $120,000 – yearly from the taxpayer-funded account.”
A former palace aide told The Times that they were shocked at the disparity in salaries but a Palace official stated that “Her [Densham] remuneration package is set to a comparable position of the private secretary to the late Duke of Edinburgh.”
A royal source said “Whether you think there’s a disparity in the pay because of their sex rather than their seniority, there is a question there. Sophie is known as being a very capable and dedicated support to the Queen.” Tell us what you think about this massive pay gap royal fans!
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with the royal family. Come back here often for royal family news and updates.
Editorial credit: Michael Tubi / Shutterstock.com