Dozens of staff at Clarence House in London have been told they will be made redundant as the offices of King Charles and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace after the Queen’s death, the Guardian writes.

Around 100 staff at the king’s former official residence, including those who have worked there for decades, have been told they could lose their jobs as they work around the clock when Charles ascends the throne.

Secretaries, finance office staff, the communications team and domestic staff were told during a service in the Queen’s honor at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday that their posts were to be axed.

Many staff assumed they would be taken away and moved to the king’s new home, claiming they had been given no indication of what would happen next until a letter arrived from Sir Clive Alderton, the king’s chief adviser. A source said: “Everyone is desperate, including the private secretaries … All the staff are working late every night from Thursday to congratulate them on this. People were visibly stunned by this.”

In his letter, seen by The Guardian, Alderton wrote: “The change in the role of our directors will also mean changes for our family… Portfolios of work previously carried out in this family for personal interests, the activities of the former Prince of Wales, operations will not take place and house… at Clarence House will be closed. It is therefore expected that there will no longer be a need for posts based primarily at Clarence House whose work supports these areas.’

The King’s personal secretary added: “I appreciate this is distressing news and would like to inform you of the support available at this time.”