Since the general election, there has been much speculation as to what the new UK Labour government may mean for Wales, given the same party is now in charge in both Cardiff and London.
Among these debates is the question of whether Westminster will devolve the crown estate. This is a collection of property, rights and interest, owned by his majesty “in right of the crown”. This should not be confused with the crown estate working for the king. Instead, it means that, while the monarch is the legal owner, it is not the king’s private property and cannot be sold by the monarch. Revenues from the estate do not belong to the king, they go to the Treasury.
Devolving the crown estate would bring Wales into line with Scotland. Welsh Labour has consistently claimed it has a firm commitment to devolving it. But the new UK government recently confirmed it has not had discussions with the Welsh government about devolving the crown estate to Wales.
