Queen under fire as Buckingham Palace’s ‘meagre’ £25,000 salary job ad sparks outrage
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The advert outlines that the individual would work in a team with a “shared and unique purpose, joining the professional business behind the monarchy”.
This is something which they claim makes working for The Royal Household “so different”, and a benefit compared to other positions.
The advert for a Personnel Security Adviser, which oversees vetting duties at the Palace, as well as at Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral, requires experience and a degree, and says that the successful candidate will “deliver vital work”.
Operating five days a week, working 37.5 hours on a one-year fixed-term contract, the salary equates to roughly £12.80 an hour – higher than the London Living Wage of £10.85.
However, critics argue that the £25,000 salary isn’t equitable with the Royal Family’s wealth, status and lifestyle, or the fact that the Queen and her family cost the British people £67million a year.
The Mirror’s Liam Gilliver commented that the salary was “meagre” and is “more than £6,000 lower than the median annual earnings for full-time employees in the UK.”
He also stated that the ad made the royals appear “out of touch”.
Security for the monarchy is an essential service, which requires “important decisions” to be made “every day” according to the specifications.
In spite of security’s importance in the lives of the royals, some feel as though the wage doesn’t demonstrate this.
One Twitter user said: “They pay/expect others to work for ‘buttons’ yet we pay them billions for waving & being ‘economical.’”
A second said: “It’s time to abolish the royals! If they can’t at least pay their employees the NLW, with their billions, then what use are they?”
Someone else claimed it was “tight” of the monarch to offer such a low salary, while a fourth suggested the ad had sparked controversy saying “time for a debate about the Royal Family perhaps”.
The wage also comes under scrutiny as the Royal Family is known for its lavish tastes and expensive habits including weddings that cost millions of pounds that require high volumes of security presence.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding in 1981 is thought to have cost around £57million, with security equating to an estimated £490,000 of that total.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on the other hand cost a not too shabby estimated £32million while Prince William and Kate’s wedding cost around £30million, again with security being the largest of the bills.
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At the time, a statement from the palace confirmed that the Royal Family had paid for core aspects of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, including the church service, associated music, flowers, decorations and the reception afterwards.
But royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams says the Royal Family is “excellent value for money” for British taxpayers.
Mr Fitzwilliams argued 77p per person per year, excluding security, was a good return for the British people.
Commenting on the cost of the monarchy, he said: “Most of it goes on salaries of those working for the Queen (£27.6million), refurbishment of royal palaces (£17.9million plus BP refurbishment) and travel (£3.2million).”
He added: “The Royal Family is ceaselessly in the news, this is a difficult period for them.
“They, ceaselessly, do good work and have a huge international profile, which, when things are tough, makes the royal goldfish bowl a difficult place to inhabit.”
Last year, the royals advertised a position for an experienced chef to join the ranks at Buckingham Palace and travel to other royal residences to whip up food for a £22,000 salary.
The live-in position including a room at the palace and meals on duty meant the successful candidate wouldn’t have to worry about bills and council tax.
While in 2017, they were seen advertising for a trainee butler on a salary of £18,850 to join Buckingham Palace.
The successful candidate could take on the role as a live-in position at the palace with meals included, but would sacrifice some of the salary for the privilege of the palace postcode.
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