A new report out this week is calling for the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall to be abolished saying they are public property, not the private property of Charles and William.
The Duchy of Lancaster owns commercial and agricultural property across the NW including Lancashire,Yorkshire and Cheshire
The Ditch the Duchies report by the pressure Group Republic calls for the abolition of both duchies and for their land and revenue to be spent on local communities through a new “National Estate”.
Last year Charles took more than £27m from the Duchy of Lancaster, while William received more than £23m from Cornwall.
The royals and government are accused of dishonesty about the ownership of the duchies. Both claim the duchies are ‘private estates’, but they are owned by the state.
The Ditch the Duchies report claims to offer original research and fresh evidence that proves the public ownership of the estates.
The report says:
“we have identified new material that as far as we are aware has not previously been considered in the context of establishing the status of the Duchies as public rather than private institutions.”
The document also lays down the gauntlet to the government, royals and media, to be honest and straightforward in talking about duchy ownership:
“The problem is, these are not the private property of the royals, but public assets that have been state property for hundreds of years. This report sets the record straight and challenges the royals, government and the media to concede this point and better inform the public about the ownership and use of these vast estates.”
The report calls for a new National Estate, saying:
“The National Estate’s purpose will be the common good, not lining the pockets of two royals.”
“In recent weeks Cornwall council has announced the need to cut £50m from its annual budget. At the start of the year a local charity in Cornwall which helped people with hot food and clothes had to close due to lack of funding. A year earlier, Sea Sanctuary, a Cornish mental health charity, had to close its doors for lack of £200,000. Lancaster museum opening times were cut drastically in 2023 due to financial pressures, while a Lancashire charity, Heartbeat, which helps former heart patients stay healthy has recently reported the need to cut services due to a lack of funding. It cost £1m to run a year, a large sum but only a fraction of the Duchy of Cornwall’s annual profits. Local communities are losing services and support, services and support which could be helped by a new National Estate with a focus on returning its revenues to the community.”
Speaking for Republic, Graham Smith said today:
“When the government claims to want to close a £22bn blackhole, how can we justify paying William £23.6m in 2024? How can we defend an annual income of more than £27.4m for our head of state, more than one hundred and fifty-nine times that of the prime minister?”
“The duchies are public property. Charles and William receive the income only because they are monarch and heir, they do not own the duchies. This report puts any doubt about that to rest.”
“I want to see broadcasters, journalists, the government and royals come clean on this issue. Calling the Duchy of Cornwall a ‘private estate’ is misleading at best.”
“We must be clear that there is a choice parliament can make: do we continue to provide gargantuan incomes to William and Charles via the duchies, or do we use those funds to invest in local communities.”
“A lot of the money comes from Cornwall and Lancashire, from deprived communities struggling with cuts to services and the cost of living crisis. That’s where the money should be spent.”
“These duchies are Crown land, belonging to the state and ultimately under the control of parliament. This new report supplies ample evidence to prove the point. The debate must now be about how we can use those assets for the common good.”
