Buckingham Palace brought in experts from the charity Alcohol Change UK to deliver an alcohol-awareness course for royal household staff.
The educational session, organised as part of the Palace’s broader wellbeing programme, aimed to equip staff with the knowledge to manage situations involving colleagues who may be under the influence of alcohol at work.
Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, confirmed that the royal household had approached the charity to deliver its workplace seminars.
Topics covered during the presentation included mindful drinking and so-called “grey area drinking”, a term describing patterns where individuals consume excessive amounts of alcohol without necessarily being dependent on it. The course also addressed the wider risks associated with alcohol in professional environments.
Buckingham Palace staff making preparations ahead of Trooping the Colour in 2024
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GETTY
Mr Piper told the Times: “We’ve worked with the royal household, with all workplaces where there may be the ability to implement better workplace policies.”
He stressed that inclusion was a central consideration in the charity’s work with employers: “More people don’t drink than are vegetarian. About six per cent of the population is vegetarian, whereas over 20 per cent of people don’t drink alcohol.
“If you look at staff turnover, we say consider Muslim colleagues, because their religion will have a prohibition on alcohol and staff may feel uncomfortable [in a heavy drinking environment].
“You’ve also got safeguarding issues. So, this isn’t just about the stigma around whether drinking is a good or bad thing. We try and get away from that and focus on health and individuals and making everyone feel included,” he added.
Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, confirmed that the royal household had approached the charity to deliver its workplace seminars
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PA
GB News understands the Alcohol Change UK session took place several years ago and formed part of a wider series of wellbeing initiatives coordinated by the royal household’s human resources department.
The course sits within a broader drive to modernise the working culture at the Palace. Over the past year, 17 new mental health first aiders have been trained across the royal household to provide support to colleagues.
In November, the Palace conducted an “employee pulse” survey designed to gauge staff satisfaction in their roles. The findings have not been published, though a report stated that the exercise “provided valuable insight into the lived experience of employees, helping to inform future priorities and targeted actions”.
GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
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In December 2024, a member of the Palace workforce was arrested following a Christmas gathering at a bar in central London, which had been preceded by an evening reception at Buckingham Palace.
Police were called to All Bar One in Victoria after reports of glasses being smashed and an alleged attempt to assault a staff member. Around 50 household employees had attended the event.
A 24-year-old woman was detained on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly. She was subsequently released with a penalty order.
A Palace spokesman said at the time: “We are aware of an incident outside the workplace involving a number of household staff who had previously attended an early evening reception at the palace.
“While this was an informal social gathering, not an official palace Christmas party, the facts will be fully investigated, with a robust disciplinary process followed in relation to individual staff and appropriate action taken.”