King Charles's ex-employee reveals what he's really like behind closed doors

As someone with one of the most high-profile jobs in the world, it wouldn't be surprising if King Charles was affected by stress when he was at home. But, according to a former member of the monarch's staff, that isn't the case at all.

The King has a host of staff working for him - each one given tasks to help with the running of the royal households. Given the huge number of people working for him in the likes of Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House and Windsor Castle, many stories about what he is like behind the scenes have emerged over the years.

And if one thing is for certain, he is "absolutely not a monster in the office".

The former employee told the Daily Beast: "Ultimately, people like working for him, but everyone is under a lot of pressure, because his office is incredibly busy.

"He's absolutely not a monster in the office, but he is human, and he snaps sometimes. Unfortunately there is sometimes a camera on him when it happens."

Despite this, the former staffer was quick to praise the King, saying that he is "extremely well prepared" as an employer, and someone who is known to not "suffer fools".

They added: "In fairness to him, as anyone who has actually worked with him will tell you, he himself is always extremely well prepared, well-read on the subject matter of people he meets and is working with, diligent and respectful of expertise."

Before he came to the throne in 2022, it was reported on the official website Prince of Wales website that the King employed 116 official staff.

This included 28 members of household staff, including four chefs and five house managers. He also had three valets and dressers and a number of butlers, all of whom helped to run his households.

While the up-to-date number of royal staff remains unknown, it is likely to mirror something closer to the huge number of staff Queen Elizabeth II had across all of her estates, reportedly 491 full-time members of staff.