This week, Omid Scobie tweeted out some criticism of the royal rota, the “royal reporters and commentators” who cover the Windsors full time. You would think that if your whole thing is the palace beat, you would be all over the Times and Channel 4’s revelations about the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and how thoroughly King Charles and Prince William are profiting from public services like hospitals and fire stations, plus they’re charging the military preposterous rates for sh-t like “mooring” and fuel. Not to mention, William and Charles are lining their pockets by charging charities for rent, even if they themselves are patrons of the charities. Well, Richard Kay is the first royal reporter to actually highlight the reporting and criticism (in a meek way) the Windsors. From his latest Mail column, “Amid a cost of living crisis, these revelations about the Royals’ finances could gnaw away at hard-won public trust.”
Just over 25 years ago, an internal Buckingham Palace report recommended steps the monarchy should adopt to rebuild trust after the catastrophic collapse in public support for the Royal Family that followed the death of Princess Diana. Many of the suggestions were practical – less formality for official engagements and opening royal events to a wider cross-section of the population – and approval ratings quickly rose. But buried in the report was a warning about one aspect that was not addressed – the wealth of the royals and a need for what it delicately put as ‘greater transparency’.
Two and a half decades on, and the monarchy – thanks to the dedication to duty of King Charles and a modern-looking Prince William – is more popular than ever. But there is an Achilles heel, and it remains the thorny issue of their private finances. In particular, the opaqueness and complexity that surrounds the running of the Duchy of Lancaster held by the King and the Duchy of Cornwall held by his son – which provide both with vast sums.
Now an investigation into these two private fiefdoms has uncovered some eye-raising details which, if not confronted, risk generating suspicion that will gnaw away at the hard-won public trust. For years, speculation about how rich the royals are has been just that, a guessing game. But revelations from Channel 4’s Dispatches programme and The Sunday Times about the millions the duchies are raking in from public services, including hospitals, schools and even the hard-pressed Armed Forces, have provoked worrying questions that highlight potential conflicts of interest and strike at the issue of transparency. The feudal-sounding duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are actually property companies with assets worth £1.8 billion and 5,410 landholdings, ranging from rental houses and flats to farmland, mining rights and drilling sites.
And the investigation has thrown up some intriguing details. One 15-year deal will see the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London pay £11.4 million to store its fleet of electric ambulance in a warehouse owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. The King will also make at least £28 million from windfarms because the duchy retains an ancient right to charge for cables crossing the foreshore across a swathe of coastline in the northwest of England.
William’s Duchy of Cornwall has signed a £37.5 million deal to lease Dartmoor prison for 25 years to the Ministry of Justice, which is liable for all repairs. His estate also owns Camelford House, a 1960s tower block on the banks of the Thames, which has brought in £22 million since 2005 from rents. It is known as ‘Charity Towers’ because so many, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and Comic Relief, have rented offices there.
The King is patron of both Macmillan and Marie Curie, while William has promoted Comic Relief. A charity that has the King or heir as its patron, or a cause advocated by them, that pays rent to the duchy, must surely touch on a possible conflict of interest. A Member of Parliament in the same position would have to declare it. Shouldn’t the Royal Family be held to the same standards?
At a time when many households are struggling with the cost of living – and Labour’s higher taxes – the findings are bound to provoke debate. There already have been calls for the two duchies to be folded into the Crown estate, which sends its profits to the Government.
The late Queen had a unique ability to divine the mood of the nation. After the Windsor Castle fire, amid public anger that taxpayers should be asked to meet repair costs, she funded the restoration herself. It would be a shame if her successors facing a potentially similar test of public confidence, failed to grasp the nettle.
“Feudal-sounding” – no, they’re actually FEUDAL. They’re genuinely a remnant of feudal England. While it’s not shocking that Charles and William are up to their necks in this kind of feudal catastrophe, I think the scope of their profiteering from public services surprised people. Like, grabbing millions from the NHS? Profiting from a prison? Charging exorbitant rent from charities? Skimming money from the military? It’s insane. It will be interesting to see if other commentators follow Kay’s lead and oh-so-gently suggest that Charles and William need to do more to clean up this gigantic mess.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.