Almost 400 staff hired to work at the royal palaces when they open to visitors for the summer have been laid off before even starting as the residences remain shut.
The temporary workers, many of them students, had contracts with the Royal Collection Trust terminated and were paid in lieu of notice – usually a week’s wages.
They have been offered the same job next summer if they still want it. Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyrood- house in Edinburgh will not be welcoming paying visitors as lockdown continues.
The Trust, chaired by Prince Charles, has had to postpone major investment projects and tighten its belt as revenue plummets.