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Annabel Elliot, Queen Camilla’s younger sister, is reportedly being paid by the King’s Foundation (His Majesty’s flagship charity) for “branding” and “retail” consultancy, according to British newspaper The Sunday Times. The exact amount is unknown, but the role has come about after Prince William, upon taking over the Duchy of Cornwall on his father’s accession, promptly removed Elliot from its payroll, where she had collected hundreds of thousands of pounds over two decades advising Charles on interiors. The issue isn’t Elliot’s ability, but the arrogance of how King Charles appears to have disregarded ethical norms in getting his sister-in-law remunerated by a charity without any apparent oversight. The King’s operating principle has always been: do what you like, ignore advice, and treat inconvenient safeguards as impertinences. Another example? His advisers urged caution over Prince Harry; the King ignored them. The public has made its views on the Sussexes known with brutal clarity; the King isn’t listening. Many good people around Charles have spent years trying to save him from himself, and his response has been to do as he pleases on every front. But how much longer can the King afford to treat warnings as impertinences?
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