2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Olivier Vergnault)
Claims have been made that Prince William's Duchy of Cornwall profits from life-saving RNLI lifeboats in Cornwall. A joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme has revealed the extent of the income generated for King Charles and Prince William through their Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall respectively. Last year, the Duchy of Lancaster brought in £27.
4 million for the King, while the Duchy of Cornwall raised £23.6 million for William. The investigation disclosed that between the two duchies, King Charles and Prince William earn millions annually by charging government departments, councils, businesses, mining companies, and even the NHS a series of commercial rents and levies, some dating back centuries, including from charities they patronise such as the RNLI.
Among the various sources of income for the Duchy of Cornwall is rent from lifeboat stations in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The report indicated that lifeboat stations in Salcombe, Sennen Cove, the Lizard, Rock, Penlee near Penzance and St Mary's in the Scillies are required to pay a total of £600 per annum to cross the beaches owned by the Duchy for lifesaving calls or even training purposes. The Sunday Times' investigation revealed that the Environment Agency is required to pay the Duchy of Cornwall £57,000 over 77 years for permission to maintain the weir in Bude.
The ferry operator between Padstow and Rock must pay the Duchy £75,000 over a quarter of a century to operate their business, while the Rock boatyard has to surrender 10 per cent of its annual revenue. The Cremyll shipyard on the Cornish side of the Tamar also pays £3,600 annually to the Duchy of Cornwall for the mooring of boats at the site. Furthermore, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust is obliged to pay £4,000 over 25 years for the privilege of maintaining the Pendarves Woods near Camborne, reports .
On the Isles of Scilly, Prince William profits from a public toilet, receiving £60 annually from the Council of the Scilly Isles for public toilets on the island of St Martin's. The Duchy of Cornwall has refuted allegations that it is unfair to charge rent from a lifesaving charity of which the King himself is the patron, stating that the figures highlighted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches are "misrepresented". The Duchy informed CornwallLive that the annual rent is low or - de minimis - but the approach to multiply this by many years "misrepresents rents as being high", adding that the Duchy of Cornwall has maintained partnerships with many of its tenants for extended periods without any issues.
The Duchy of Cornwall, which owns hundreds of homes rented out to families, has been found to have many properties with energy ratings below the government's minimum legal standards. These standards are set under laws designed to combat climate change and are known as Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). The Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster collectively own 180,000 acres across England and Wales, valued at over £1.
8 billion. A Sunday Times investigation revealed that both the King and the Prince voluntarily pay income tax at the highest rate (45 per cent) on the duchy money they receive. However, revenues generated from the Duchies' extensive property empire are exempt from corporate profit tax due to a special arrangement with the Treasury.
The investigation into the finances of both duchies showed that while operating as private enterprises, they generate income from taxpayers. For instance, the Duchy of Cornwall charges the Royal Navy for refuelling its warships at Devonport in Plymouth, and the Army pays rent to the Duchy of Cornwall for training on Dartmoor. Dartmoor Prison, located within the national park and housing non-violent inmates, also pays Prince William for the privilege.
The Sunday Times has revealed that state-funded Launceston College is required to pay £189,000 over a 30-year period for the use of a Dartmoor farmhouse owned by the Duchy. The property serves as a base for Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions and educational trips, with the school also footing the bill for refurbishments. The Duchy of Cornwall maintains its position as a responsible landlord, committed to "continuous improvement of its properties" and working closely with tenants to "actively address energy efficiency of properties across our portfolio while minimising the impact on residents".
A spokesperson for the Duchy stated that since the 2019/20 period, they have achieved a reduction of approximately 300 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in their residential and rural commercial buildings, due to grid decarbonisation and changes in energy consumption. They added that in many instances, the Duchy of Cornwall is not required to obtain an EPC under the MEES regulations, due to the nature of the tenancy agreement or the length of time a tenant has occupied the property. Regarding the charges imposed on the Armed Forces for using land on Dartmoor and other locations for training and national defence purposes, the Duchy of Cornwall explained that the agreement with the Army dates back to the 1800s.
All rents received in the national park are used for its maintenance. The Duchy of Cornwall has come under fire for its methods of generating income, particularly concerning the sale of mining or exploration drilling rights in environmentally sensitive areas like Bodmin Moor and the Tamar Valley. This has raised eyebrows given the Royal Family's vocal stance on environmental protection.
A local environmental group near Great Wheal Vor in Breage, close to Helston, has even penned a letter to the Duke of Cornwall, highlighting the contradiction between granting drilling licences and the public environmental advocacy by King Charles and Prince William. In response, the Duchy stated that it is working with the critical minerals industry in Cornwall "to respond to the UK Government's Industrial Strategy". The Duchy insists that the three-year exploration licences it has issued to various mining companies are regulated to ensure compliance with legal requirements and high environmental standards.
Addressing the scrutiny from the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches, a spokesperson for the Duchy of Cornwall remarked: "The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities." Since becoming the Duke of Cornwall in September 2022, Prince William has embarked on an ambitious plan to overhaul the Duchy. A substantial investment has been made to render the estate net-zero by the close of 2032, complemented by a strategy to provide dedicated mental health support for tenants and partnerships to address homelessness locally in Cornwall.
Meanwhile, those pushing for the monarchy's abolishment and the transition to a republic have urged for an inquiry into the financial operations of the Royal Family. The advocacy organisation Republic has also appealed to the Government to dissolve the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, arguing that the properties should be under direct state control. The assets, according to Republic, are not personal holdings of Charles and William as implied by the royals but instead belong to the Crown and thus to the state.
Spokesperson Graham Smith commented: "The Dispatches investigation shows how the Duchies are doggedly pursuing profit at every turn, at huge expense to the public and charities "The Duchies are not private property, they are state assets. Parliament allowed the royals to maintain control over these estates when other land was surrendered three centuries ago. It's time parliament abandoned that arrangement.
There is no possible justification for allowing William and Charles to control the Duchies and take the profits, while avoiding taxes and facing accusations of neglecting tenants." "Why is the government paying Charles and William for the use of state land? Why is the taxpayer effectively paying Charles and William over £23m a year each? " he questioned. He then called for transparency and action: "There needs to be a full inquiry and disclosure on the Duchies, we need all the records laid out for everyone to see, we need to ensure all their assets are returned to the state, so money can be saved and profits can be spent on local communities.
" The critique didn't stop there as he highlighted a stark contradiction: "It is particularly shocking that William, who claims to care about homelessness, has been accused of being a rogue landlord who leaves private tenants in fuel poverty and living in substandard homes. The solution is quite simple, abolish the Duchies.".
