Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Uniqlo x Cecilie Bahnsen
    • Perfume Necklaces
    • The Board Whisperers
    • Choulie
    • Holiday Movies
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Why King Charles Is Receiving Complaints About Rats, Overflowing Trash, and Awful Odors

    "The King would be horrified—it's a disgrace."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 8 October 2024 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    King Charles looks sad while attending The Braemar Gathering in Scotland on September 2, 2023
    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    King Charles has a lot of responsibilities as the British monarch, some of which may be unexpected. One of the most surprising problems the King is reportedly dealing with relates to the so-called "ideal" town of Poundbury.

    Charles was actually responsible for the creation of Poundbury in Dorset, which was based upon "the principles of architecture and urban planning" detailed in the King's book, A Vision of Britain. The town was built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, which was originally owned and operated by Charles and passed over to Prince William after the Queen's death.

    Unfortunately, residents of the town have become dissatisfied with problems that have recently arisen in Poundbury.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    "There are rats everywhere and the smell is awful," one resident told The Telegraph. "No-one seems to be bothered."

    For some reason, one area of the town has caused extra concern as people's trash cans apparently aren't being collected on a regular basis, leading to overflowing rubbish.

    You may like
    • King Charles smiling in a suit and blue tie King Charles Developed a “Brilliant" Solution to His Royal Bubble Bath Dilemma
    • King Charles is in side profile and has white gray hair while wearing a gray pinstripe suit while his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wears a turquoise blue coat dress and matching hat King Charles's "Hot Temper Flared" After The Queen's Death
    • King Charles tipping his top hat Former Royal Chef Shares Why The King's One Title Should Be “Taken Back”

    King Charles laughs while wearing a construction helmet during a visit to the Dorset village of Poundbury on February 16, 2005

    King Charles visits Poundbury on February 16, 2005.

    (Image credit: ROTA/Getty Images)

    According to the Daily Mail, there may be some confusion as to who is meant to empty trash cans at a particular property, adding to the chaos.

    One resident said of the trash issue, "I wish they weren't in a bad state—I don't even know how often they get collected."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Another resident suggested that people were upset with the overall state of Poundbury, saying, "It reflects badly on us, and it's not nice to be living around this. It is an eyesore as no-one wants to come here and see rubbish."

    An older resident of Poundbury told The Telegraph, "The King would be horrified ... it's like this every week."

    One local told the publication, "There are rats about—it's a disgrace."

    A spokesperson of the Duchy of Cornwall responded to the complaints, saying in a statement, "The Duchy of Cornwall worked closely with Dorset Council to ensure appropriate measures for refuse management are available to residents through the design of Poundbury." They continued, "We continue to encourage the local authority, residents and housing providers to work together so collection issues can be resolved efficiently."

    Hopefully, Poundbury's problems can be rectified quickly so that King Charles' "ideal" town can be restored to its intended glory.

    Explore More
    King Charles Prince Charles
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    King Charles wears a pinstripe suit and has white gray hair and bloodshot eyes
    Royals King Charles's Next Task Is "Outside of His Control"
    By Amy Mackelden
    King Charles waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony while wearing a red military uniform
    Royals King Charles's Popularity Has Waned, Per New Poll
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    King Charles has white gray hair and looks to the sky with a wrinkled face while wearing a suit
    Royals King Charles's "True Colors" Were on Full Display
    By Amy Mackelden
     Britain's King Charles III plants a silver buttonwood tree at Bonefish Pond National Park in New Providence as part of the autumn tour of Caribbean nations on October 28, 2026 in Nassau, Bahamas
    Royals King Charles Questions His Mortality During Royal Tour
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Princess Kate wears a polka dot dress and joins Prince William at The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance event at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, on November 7, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate Brings Back the Polka Dot Trend
    Prince George wears a white shirt and has blond hair while his dad, Prince William, wears a light blue shirt with a navy suit jacket and is bald
    Royals Prince George and Prince William Broke Royal Protocol
     
     
    Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica at King's House on March 23, 2022 in Kingston, Jamaica.
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Were "Left Incredibly Scarred"
    Prince William wears navy military uniform and has a balding head while his son, Prince George, wears a navy suit and a white shirt
    Royals Prince William Sprung Into "Dad Mode" During Trip With George
     
     
    Latest in News
    Princess Kate wears a polka dot dress and joins Prince William at The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance event at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, on November 7, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate Brings Back the Polka Dot Trend
    Prince George wears a white shirt and has blond hair while his dad, Prince William, wears a light blue shirt with a navy suit jacket and is bald
    Royals Prince George and Prince William Broke Royal Protocol
     
     
    Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica at King's House on March 23, 2022 in Kingston, Jamaica.
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Were "Left Incredibly Scarred"
    Angel Reese wears zebra print while posing with her brother Julian Reese, while watching his team the New Orleans Pelicans play against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 6, 2026
    Celebrity Style Angel Reese Goes All In on Fashion's New Favorite Neutral
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.