Royal estates ‘receive millions from public bodies and charities’

A new documentary reveals details of the royal family’s finances, including the rent they receive from the NHS, schools and the armed forces.

In an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and Sunday Times.the private estates of King Charles and Prince William are reported to have received multi-million-dollar income from contracts with public bodies and charities.

It was claimed that deals with the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall were worth almost £50 million over the last year.

A spokesman for the Duchy of Lancaster, King Charles’ private estate, said it “complies with all relevant UK law and regulatory standards applicable to the scope of its business activities.”

The Duchy of Lancaster, founded in 1399, and Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall, founded in 1337, hold large amounts of land and commercial property in England and Wales.

Their contracts with public bodies include a £37 million deal between the Duchy of Cornwall and the Ministry of Justice for the lease of Dartmoor Prison, and a £11.4 million deal between Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster for the lease of a warehouse in London for over 15 years.

The King, Prince and Their Secret Millions Dispatches reported that details of the leases had not been passed to Parliament.

The document raises concerns about the environmental impact of some contracts concluded in housing estates, including those with mining companies.

Both private estates are separate from the Crown Estate, a collection of lands and estates that operate as a private company and belong to the “sovereign for the duration of their reign”.

The royal family receives a sovereign grant, which is a percentage of profits from the crown estate, to cover running costs. Next year it will rise to £132 millionafter profits from the Crown Estate rose to £1.1 billion.

A spokesman for the Duchy of Cornwall said it was a “private commercial estate achieved through our commitment to restoring the natural environment and making a positive social impact in our communities”.

On mining, the spokesman said the principality “acts responsibly and sustainably” in line with the government’s industrial strategy.

A spokesman for the Duchy of Lancaster said it operated “as a trading company managing a wide range of land and property in England and Wales”.

They said that the principality “delegates certain functions to the Principality Council, particularly those relating to the management of the estate” and while the king takes “a great interest” in the principality’s work, the principality’s responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the council and the executive team.

He added that it had made “a number of key environmental improvements” in recent years.