Royal estates ‘to earn millions from NHS, armed forces and state school rents’

The King and the Prince of Wales’ backstage estates person struck rental deals worthy millions of pounds with the equipped forces, the NHS and authorities schools, it has been reported.

An investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times examined the onshore and properties the 2 starring royals ain done the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.

The probe reported that past twelvemonth the Duchy of Lancaster agreed a woody to store a caller fleet of electrical ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust successful London, successful 1 of the estate’s warehouses astatine a outgo of £11.4 cardinal implicit 15 years.

It besides said the Duchy of Cornwall had charged the navy much than £1 cardinal since 2004 to physique and usage jetties and moor warships connected the Cornish coastline.

The duchy volition besides gain astir £600,000 implicit the beingness of six antithetic leases agreed with section authorities schools, the probe found.

The Duchy of Lancaster is simply a portfolio of land, spot and assets crossed England and Wales held successful spot for the Sovereign, including cardinal municipality developments, historical buildings, high-quality workplace onshore and areas of large earthy beauty, dating backmost to the 14th century.

The Duchy of Cornwall is simply a akin portfolio valued astatine much than £1 cardinal which provides an income for the heir to the throne.

Both estates are exempt from paying Corporation Tax oregon Capital Gains Tax.

Further claims made of the Duchy of Cornwall see that it signed a £37 cardinal woody to lease Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice and a woody with the Ministry of Defence to let the Armed Forces to bid connected Dartmoor land.

Last twelvemonth the King asked for profits from a £1 billion-a-year Crown Estate wind farm deal to beryllium utilized for the “wider nationalist good” alternatively than arsenic a backing boost for the monarchy.

But the probe besides recovered that Charles would inactive marque astatine slightest £28 cardinal from upwind farms because of a feudal close to complaint for cables crossing onshore belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster.

There are further claims from the investigation, moving with the Mirror newspaper, that backstage residential properties rented retired by some duchies neglect to conscionable minimum vigor ratio requirements.

Some 14% of homes leased by the Duchy of Cornwall and 13% by the Duchy of Lancaster person a show standing of F oregon G, contempt it being against the instrumentality for landlords to rent retired properties rated beneath an E since 2020, the probe reported.

Charles’s yearly income from the Duchy of Lancaster roseate by 5% to £27.4 cardinal successful 2023/24, according to accounts published by the property successful July.

William received an yearly backstage income of much than £23.6 cardinal from the Duchy of Cornwall past year, accounts showed.

The income from some the duchies is abstracted from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant which pays for the monarch’s authoritative duties.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is liable to the Sovereign for the medication of the Duchy. However, he/she delegates definite functions, peculiarly those regarding plus management, to the Duchy Council

Duchy of Lancaster

Neither the King nor the Prince of Wales are legally obliged to wage income taxation but some person offered to bash so.

Responding to the claims, a Duchy of Lancaster spokesperson said: “The Duchy of Lancaster operates arsenic a commercialized company, managing a wide scope of onshore and spot assets crossed England and Wales. It complies with each applicable UK authorities and regulatory standards applicable to its scope of concern activities.

“The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is liable to the Sovereign for the medication of the Duchy. However, he/she delegates definite functions, peculiarly those regarding plus management, to the Duchy Council.

“While His Majesty The King takes a adjacent involvement successful the enactment of the Duchy, the day-to-day absorption of the portfolio is the work of the Council and enforcement team.

“The Duchy has made a fig of cardinal biology improvements successful caller years, delivering a important summation successful the fig of A+, A and B EPC ratings awarded to our properties arsenic a effect of refurbishment oregon restoration works.

“Currently, implicit 87% of each Duchy fto properties are rated E oregon above. The remainder are either awaiting scheduled betterment works oregon are exempted nether UK legislation.”

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said William was committed to “an expansive transformation” of the estate.

They said successful a statement: “The Duchy of Cornwall is simply a backstage property with a commercialized imperative which we execute alongside our committedness to restoring the earthy situation and generating affirmative societal interaction for our communities.

“Prince William became Duke of Cornwall successful September 2022 and since past has committed to an expansive translation of the Duchy.

“This includes a important concern to marque the property nett zero by the extremity of 2032, arsenic good arsenic establishing targeted intelligence wellness enactment for our tenants and moving with section partners to assistance tackle homelessness successful Cornwall.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.