New Records Show King Charles & Queen Camilla May Be Perpetuating the Gender Pay Gap with Their Staff

Yet again, King Charles III and Queen Camilla have found themselves in another controversy they may not have prepared for. While most of their controversies have been centered on their treatment of other family members and their romantic relationship, this one is all about how they treat their staff. No, we’re not talking about the social treatments, but rather, the staggering difference in their staffers‘ paychecks.

In a June 2023 report, per Express, it seems there’s a huge pay gap between Charles’ staff and Camilla’s staff. An over £100,000 difference, to be exact.

This difference was made apparent when people saw Charles’ secretary Sir Clive Alderton earned around £205,000 to £210,000 annually, while Camilla’s secretary Sophie Densham earned around £90,000 to £95,000 annually.

Here’s a little bit of backstory on both: Alderton has worked as Charles’ private secretary since 2015, and Densham? Per DailyMail, she’s worked privately with Camilla since 2008, but didn’t officially get into the role of her private secretary until 2021.

The Times reported that while Densham is “almost always by Camilla’s side on official engagements,” Alderton only goes to the “most high-profile outings.”

And to add another layer to this, it’s unclear if Densham has been provided housing from the family, but Alderton definitely has. Per Express, Alderton was “provided with housing for the better performance,” and the rent was from his salary “at a rate agreed with HM Treasury.”

Now, is this a pattern? We’re not entirely sure. While we know Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt earned around £142,000 a year, per Insider, it’s unclear how much Prince Philip’s devoted secretary Mike Parker earned.

Either way, this disparity shows there could be a lot of problems brewing behind closed doors. And before anyone questions it: yes, the gender pay gap has been an issue in the UK for quite some time, as you can see in figures obtained by the Open Government UK site.

Before you go, click here to see photos of Queen Elizabeth II’s family over the years.