King Charles and Prince William’s private estates have received “millions from public bodies and charities”, according to a new Channel 4 Dispatches documentary.
The private estates of the King and the Prince of Wales have received almost £50million of income from contracts with public bodies and charities, as claimed in a new investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times.
The Duchy of Lancaster, established in 1399, owned by King Charles and The Duchy of Cornwall, is a private estate provided to earn an income for the Prince of Wales and his family.
Both are large amounts of land and commercial property in England and Wales.
King Charles and Prince William’s private estates have received “millions from public bodies and charities”, according to a new Channel 4 Dispatches documentary.
PA
The Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are not funded by taxpayer money; however, the documentary claims they have contracts with public bodies.
These are said to include a £37million agreement between the Duchy of Cornwall and the Ministry of Justice to lease Dartmoor Prison and a £11.4million deal between Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster to rent a London warehouse over 15 years.
The rental agreements have not been declared to Parliament, according to the 48-minute documentary Dispatches’ The King, The Prince and Their Secret Millions.
The two private estates are separate from the Crown Estate, as profits of the Crown Estate go to the Treasury.
Dispatches can reveal how King Charles and Prince William are making millions from the taxpayer.
In a joint investigation with @thetimes we have uncovered lucrative deals with the armed forces, schools and even the NHS. pic.twitter.com/kFqfoFv4t5
— Channel 4 Dispatches (@C4Dispatches) November 2, 2024
The Crown Estate’s profit level is used as a benchmark to calculate the Sovereign Grant, which the Government gives to the Royal Family as royal funding.
The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant will be £132million next year, as the Crown Estate made profits of £1.1billion.
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesman said it 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”.
A Duchy of Lancaster spokesman said the estate operates sustainably “as a commercial company, managing a broad range of land and property assets across England and Wales.”
The Duchy’s asset value has increased every year except 2020GB NewsThey also said that the King “takes a close interest,” but the Duchy and its assets are managed day-to-day by a council and executive team, who have made “a number of key environmental improvements in recent years”.
In an open letter to 11 Downing Street, the Anti-Monarchy organisation Republic demanded Chancellor Rachel Reeves launch an inquiry to “review the status of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall” in the autumn budget last week.
The King and Prince William voluntarily pay income tax on the millions of pounds of revenue earned from the Duchy of Cornwall.