Have you ever wanted to work at the Royal Palace? Well, it could be your chance, as the Royal Family is actively looking to expand their housekeeping team at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The official website for the Royal Household published a job posting detailing the eligibility, profile, location, hours, and salary offered. To say the least, people are extremely unhappy with the wages the monarchs are offering for their new cleaning staff. Some questioned how they could offer so little despite being one of the wealthiest people across the globe, while others straight up stated that they make more by doing regular jobs.
The British monarchy offers £12.60/hour for a cleaning assistant at Holyroodhouse, £5.40 less than the average payment for the role. pic.twitter.com/MPSjl1TFGT
— Pop Tingz (@ThePopTingz) April 15, 2025
The job listing explained, “We’re looking for passionate, conscientious, and detail-focused individuals to join our Housekeeping team.” They also added a brief description of the job: “Working across public areas, facilities, front and back-of-house spaces, and bedrooms, you’ll help ensure every environment is presented at its very best.”
The job ad continues, “Learning from experienced collegues, you’ll develop specialist skills and techniques, always striving for the highest possible standards. Working in an environment where development and training are common place, you’ll be able to grow your skills.”
The website also added that when joining the team, the employee would “take pride in the cleaning, care, and upkeep of a wide range of interiors, furnishings, and historic items.” The Royal Household job ad further added the perks and a “generous benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and life priorities.” The employee would be eligible for up to 25 days annual leave, which could increase to 30 (excluding bank holidays) depending on how long they have been working for the family.
They will also be offering on-site lunch “to keep you fueled throughout the day.” While everything else seemed reasonable, people had to take a pause as soon as they read how much the Royal Family was offering for this job role. They boldly put out that the hourly rate for this cleaning assistant role is only £12.60. This did not sit well with many.
On X (formerly Twitter), many people lashed out against the monarchs for offering such low wages despite being so wealthy. “The British monarchy offers £12.60/hour for a cleaning assistant at Holyroodhouse, £5.40 less than the average payment for the role,” wrote one user. “This is actually disgusting,” another simply wrote. One person mocked, “Wow, such a big spender.”
this is actually disgusting
— jac 🤍 (@jacnights13) April 15, 2025
One person lamented, “Seriously?? i make more than that cleaning airbnbs. like, i can work 4-5 hours in a day and make more than these people do. that’s so f—-d.”
“Mind you, these are some of the wealthiest people on earth,” another added. “This is tragic,” that’s all one user could say. Overall, people were shocked to see how little they were offering in exchange for asking the employees to do their best.
Meanwhile, according to the Gov.uk, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the UK has different rates depending on a person’s apprenticeship status and age. As of April 1, for those 21 and over, the National Living Wage per hour is £12.21, while it is £10.00 for people between 18 and 20 years. For those who are under 18, the NMW per hour is £7.55, and it’s the same for apprentices.
