King Charles is facing calls to dissolve his lucrative private estates and refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is making millions from renting out ambulance parking spaces and sub-standard properties.
The monarch and Prince William have sparked uproar after it was revealed they are benefiting from rental deals with public services – including the armed forces and state schools – on their private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The two estates earned the royals upwards of £50m in the last financial year, with both being exempt from paying corporation tax or capital gains tax.
Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years.
Campaigners described the deal as “disgraceful” and a “money-grabbing activity” which ought to be reconsidered by the King.
“I think it is disgraceful actually, given the NHS is under so much pressure, for the royal family to charge for ambulance parking and other NHS uses,” Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told the Daily Mail. “[It] sounds rather like a money-grabbing activity. And I would hope because of the publicity there will be a rethink in the royal household.”
The investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times also reported last year that William’s Duchy of Cornwall had charged the navy more than £1m since 2004 to build and use jetties and moor warships on the Cornish coastline.
The investigation found that the Duchy will also earn around £600,000 over the lifetime of six different leases agreed with local state schools.
The recent revelations about the income of the Duchies have been met with calls for them to abolish their private estates altogether.
“The solution is quite simple, abolish the Duchies,” spokesperson for Republic, Graham Smith, said.
He added: “The Dispatches investigation shows how the Duchies are doggedly pursuing profit at every turn, at huge expense to the public and charities. The Duchies are not private property, they are state assets. Parliament allowed the royals to maintain control over these estates when other land was surrendered three centuries ago. It’s time parliament abandoned that arrangement.”
The Duchies are portfolios of land, property and assets across England and Wales including key urban developments, historic buildings and high-quality farmland harking back to the 14th century.
The Duchy of Lancaster is held in trust by the sovereign while the Duchy of Cornwall, valued at more than £1bn, provides an income for the heir to the throne.
Charles’s annual income from the Duchy of Lancaster rose by 5 per cent to £27.4m in 2023-24, according to accounts published by the estate in July. William received an annual private income of more than £23.6m from the Duchy of Cornwall last year, accounts showed.
The income from both the Duchies is separate from the taxpayer-funded sovereign grant which pays for the monarch’s official duties. Neither the King nor the Prince of Wales are legally obliged to pay income tax but both have offered to do so.
Further investigations with the Mirror newspaper found that private residential properties rented out by both Duchies fail to meet minimum energy efficiency requirements.
Some 14 per cent of homes leased by the Duchy of Cornwall and 13 per cent by the Duchy of Lancaster have a performance rating of F or G, despite it being against the law for landlords to rent out properties rated below an E since 2020, the investigation reported.
“There is no possible justification for allowing William and Charles to control the Duchies and take the profits while avoiding taxes and facing accusations of neglecting tenants,” Mr Smith said. “Why is the government paying Charles and William for the use of state land? Why is the taxpayer effectively paying Charles and William over £23m a year each?
“There needs to be a full inquiry and disclosure on the Duchies, we need all the records laid out for everyone to see. We need to ensure all their assets are returned to the state, so money can be saved and profits can be spent on local communities.”
“It is particularly shocking that William, who claims to care about homelessness, has been accused of being a rogue landlord who leaves private tenants in fuel poverty and living in substandard homes.”
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said William, who took over the estate upon his father’s accession to the throne in 2022, was committed to “an expansive transformation” of the estate.
They said in a statement: “The Duchy of Cornwall 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.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment but a spokesperson for the Duchy of Lancaster said it “complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities”.
They added: “While His Majesty the King takes a close interest in the work of the Duchy, the day-to-day management of the portfolio is the responsibility of the council and executive team.”
They added that currently, over 87 per cent of all Duchy let properties are rated E or above and that the remainder are either awaiting scheduled improvement works or are exempted under UK legislation.
