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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Maeve McClenaghan, Rob Evans and Henry Dyer

Revealed: King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens

King Charles in front of Duchy of Lancaster seal and Val Taylor's bungalow in Burnley
The diversion of bona vacantia funds has proven a financial boon to the king’s estate. Composite: Guardian Design/Francis Dias/Newspix International

The king is profiting from the deaths of thousands of people in the north-west of England whose assets are secretly being used to upgrade a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate, the Guardian can reveal.

The Duchy of Lancaster, a controversial land and property estate that generates huge profits for King Charles III, has collected tens of millions of pounds in recent years under an antiquated system that dates back to feudal times.

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