King Charles’ friends are clearing up speculation surrounding the recent mass exodus that shook the core of Highgrove estate.

Staffing numbers torpedoed after workers claimed they were “overwhelmed and underpaid” — allegations confirmed in a 2023 investigation commissioned by the King’s Foundation, which manages the royal residence.

As a result, 11 of 12 perplexed staffers handed in their resignations, leaving the monarch, 76, scrambling over next steps.

King Charles’s friends are clearing up speculation surrounding the recent mass exodus that shook the core of Highgrove estate. Getty Images

Among the myriad claims in the initial report, one gardener claimed he was fired after revealing insufficient knowledge about a particular type of flower, reportedly losing the king’s trust.

“Don’t put that man in front of me again,” the king reportedly said of the staffer.

However, the king’s inner circle has now spoken out, with several of the monarch’s confidante’s telling the Daily Mail that the situation didn’t quite unfold in that way.

Insiders claim that Charles had requested the removal of a certain ragwort weed in the gardens as it was not publicly accessible for him to remove it himself.

A total of 11 of 12 perplexed staffers handed in their resignations, leaving the monarch, 76, scrambling over next steps. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

“It is an invasive and noxious weed and hardly seems unreasonable to request its removal,” a source told the outlet.

“He was not being beastly to this man,” they went on. “The fact is he was ambushed over a matter, and it was this that he was cross about.”

After workers accused His Majesty of spewing out unattainable demands, in addition to staff shortages, low wages and even lower morale, insiders added that Charles’ approach to the gardens is a personal one.

“He sees the gardens as an important part of his legacy,” a close friend of the monarch said, adding that the king’s ongoing cancer battle greatly impacts his energy levels and keeps him from visiting the gardens as often as he’d like to.

Workers accused His Majesty of spewing out unattainable demands, in addition to staff shortages, low wages and even lower morale. Chris Radburn/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

The Highgrove estate, which Charles had purchased in 1980, has also been rocked by a slew of toxic workplace complaints from vexed staffers. Getty ImagGetty Images For Clarence House

Despite generating more than $8 million in income last financial year — higher than any other royal residence — the gardens continue to operate with minimal resources, The Post previously reported.

An investigation conducted by independent HR consultancy WorkNest had found evidence of “staff shortages” and “poor” management practices, confirming that pay was “an issue for recruitment and retention.”

Still, the probe’s discoveries, coupled with the tallying complaints, have been refuted by some of the king’s former staffers, including his former senior gardener Jack Stooks.

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Stooks, who worked at Highgrove for more than 20 years, exclusively told The Post that while Charles does oversee the King’s Foundation and its employees, the claims against him are “unfair.”

Exasperated staffers claimed they were “overwhelmed and underpaid” during their tenure at Highgrove. WireImage

“I don’t think this should be aimed quite at him,” Stooks told The Post, saying he’s never had an issue with the king. “He’s employed the foundation, and, yes, he’s part of the foundation, but they are running the garden.”

“The king is putting his trust in them to run it — if they’re running it incorrectly or unsuitably, that’s not actually on the king, it’s on them,” he continued. “If there are problems, the king can now fix these, and I’m sure that’s exactly what he’ll now be doing as a result.”