Latest news with #DuchyOfLancaster
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Royal estate that funds King Charles and Prince William to review rents to NHS and schools
The Duchy of Lancaster, which belongs to the King and the Prince of Wales, will reportedly 'actively review' its rental agreements after facing backlash for charging rent to the NHS and other taxpayer funded organisations. An investigation last year found that the royal estates of the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster receive millions of pounds from schools, the health service, the Ministry of Defence and charities. Releasing the annual accounts into the Duchy of Cornwall, which last year brought in a private income of £22.9m to Prince William, it was announced that the estate would waive rent for organisations such as the Scouts and halve rates for community groups. Will Bax, the secretary and keeper of the records for the estate, said contracts with schools would also be reviewed, but failed to mention changes to rent for the NHS and the armed forces. Following this, The Times reports that the Duchy of Lancaster has also confirmed it will 'actively review' its policies. It said: 'The Duchy of Lancaster has a long-established policy of offering nominal rental rates to small charities and community groups delivering valuable services at a local level. The duchy council actively reviews its policies on an ongoing basis and will continue to consider its future position on this matter to see what further steps may be taken.' Media backlash on the wealth accrued by the royal estates came after an investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme, which compiled details of commercial rent charged by the duchies. They included a £11.4m deal between Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust to store ambulances over a 15-year period and a £37.5m agreement between the Ministry of Justice and the Duchy of Cornwall to lease Dartmoor prison. The investigation last year revealed the duchy was also set to earn around £600,000 over the lifetime of six different leases agreed with local state schools. Releasing the figures from the Duchy of Cornwall, Mr Bax said: 'It would be remiss not to address the media scrutiny the duchy has experienced this year … We have used these challenges to stop and reflect. Both the duke and I are clear that we want the duchy to be world-class in our approach to supporting people, communities and nature to flourish.' Prince William is the 25th Duke of Cornwall and became entitled to the duchy's profits when he became heir to the throne. The Duchy of Lancaster is yet to release its annual records.
Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Times
King Charles's estate to review rents charged to NHS and schools
The King's Duchy of Lancaster will 'actively review' its rental agreements after the royal estates faced criticism for charging rent to the NHS and other taxpayer-funded public bodies, The Times has learnt. Last year it emerged that the royal estates of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which provide private incomes to the King and the Prince of Wales, received millions of pounds in rent from public bodies and charities, including schools, the health service and the armed forces. On Monday Will Bax, the secretary and keeper of the records of the Prince of Wales's Duchy of Cornwall, said the estate had reacted to 'media scrutiny' by waiving the rent for grassroots organisations such as the Scouts and halving rates for local community groups. Releasing its annual accounts, Bax said contracts with schools on the 52,000-hectare estate would also be reviewed. There was no mention of rent reductions or reviews for the public bodies such as the Ministry of Defence and the NHS, which lease property from the duchy. The Duchy of Lancaster, however, has now confirmed it will 'actively review' its policies. It said: 'The Duchy of Lancaster has a long-established policy of offering nominal rental rates to small charities and community groups delivering valuable services at a local level. The duchy council actively reviews its policies on an ongoing basis and will continue to consider its future position on this matter to see what further steps may be taken.' On Monday, the Duchy of Cornwall, which funds the office of the Prince of Wales and provides him with a private income, released its annual accounts. The prince received £22.9 million from the estate last year, down from £23.6 million the year before. The estate declined to reveal how much tax the prince had paid but confirmed it was at the 'highest rate'. Releasing the figures, Bax said: 'We have created a new policy relating to rents charged to community groups and local charities, where they are active within our communities. The policy focuses on direct tenants. Going forward, we will waive rents for grassroots community tenants and provide up to a 50 per cent rental discount to local charity tenants who directly rent space from the duchy and are active on the ground within our communities.' • Prince William criticised for keeping Duchy tax payments secret Bax added: 'It would be remiss not to address the media scrutiny the duchy has experienced this year … We have used these challenges to stop and reflect. Both the duke and I are clear that we want the duchy to be world-class in our approach to supporting people, communities and nature to flourish.' The scrutiny on the royal estates came from an analysis of the land by The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme. It compiled details of the commercial rent charged to public bodies, including the NHS and Ministry of Defence. Contracts included a £37.5 million agreement between the Duchy of Cornwall and the Ministry of Justice to lease Dartmoor prison and an £11.4 million deal between Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster to rent a London warehouse to store ambulances over a 15-year period. At the time, the Duchy of Lancaster said the estate 'complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities'. While the information was already in the public domain, critics questioned whether the agreements should be more readily transparent to taxpayers, who effectively subsidise the duchies through fees levied on schools, the health service and the military. When publishing the most recent report, Bax said: 'I've spent my first eight months at the duchy listening and learning from colleagues, stakeholders, our tenants and partners across the estate, and working closely with the Duke [of Cornwall] to guide this time of reflection and evolution. • King Charles net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2025 'We are bringing change to the duchy. Whilst this will manifest in different ways, we are particularly refocusing our strategy to maximise the positive impact we have on people, places and the planet.' The latest accounts for the Duchy of Lancaster have yet to be released.
The Guardian
14-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘They could poo for England': the mystery of the peacocks plaguing a village
In a village there are many things that cause neighbours to argue: differences in politics, disagreements over hedge maintenance, disputes over who will be Santa this Christmas. In east Staffordshire, however, the battle lines have been drawn over something far more unusual. Over the past 25 years, the village of Tutbury has been the home of an ever-growing pride of peacocks and hens who some residents say destroy crops, leave large amounts of mess and whose distinctive calls can be heard at all hours of the day and night. George, who owns a patch of land in the village's allotment where crops are fortified to avoid being ransacked by the peacocks, says the birds are like 'marmite' to the village. 'The people who love them really love them, and the people that hate them really hate them,' he says. Like the situation itself, the peacocks' origin story is a unique one. According to residents, decades ago three peacocks were housed in Tutbury Castle, which sits on a hill overlooking the village. Who put them there and cared for them is a source of debate, but all accounts say that one day whoever fed and looked after them, for reasons unknown, stopped, causing them to scavenge for food in the village. Some people also claimed that, possibly due to the Tutbury Castle being part of the Duchy of Lancaster, the peacocks are also technically owned by the king, hence the lack of action to control them. The disagreements have created such a divide that many of the doors you knock on refuse to speak on the record as people try to avoid conflict with their neighbours. Humphrey and Jackie Toon, 78 and 64, are two of only a few people in the village who feel comfortable making their feelings known publicly. The couple, lifelong residents of Tutbury, believe the peacocks don't mean any harm and are good-natured, but have become a nuisance. 'They wake us up at half four every morning – it's ridiculous,' says Jackie. 'They stop buses, they attack cars if they see their own reflection and they poo everywhere. They could poo for England.' Their sentiments are shared by others. One resident, who wished not to be named to avoid conflict with the peacock-loving household across the road, likened the experience of being surrounded by the birds to being trapped. 'It's like being in a zoo: they're around you, you can't get rid of them. It's like you're in the cage with them; day and night they're there.' They also said the constant noise from the peacocks has made it hard for he and his partner to recover from separate surgeries, and that they planned to move away from Tutbury to escape them. The local parish and borough councils said they were aware of the issue but that neither could do much to help because that was the responsibility of 'whoever owned the peacocks'.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
All you need to know about King Charles III's visit to Lancaster
King Charles III is to visit Lancaster Castle later, with organisers planning to make the royal visit a "proud day" for the will mark the first time the King, who is also the Duke of Lancaster, has visited Lancashire since he was will close as huge crowds are expected in Lancaster to welcome the monarch, who will be handed the keys to the castle in front of the John O'Gaunt gateway as part in an ancient ceremonial Police said measures have been put in place to manage the influx of well wishers to the city, and warned people they will need to plan ahead to avoid disruption. What will the King do during his visit? King Charles will receive the keys in front of the John O'Gaunt gateway at the entrance to the castle. The structure was built by Henry IV in the 15th century as part of the castle defences and includes a statue of his father John of Gaunt, a key figure in the history of the Duchy of the ceremony, Pam Barker DL, Constable of the Castle, will officially present His Majesty with the King will then meet with local business representatives and attend a reception with a wide range of community from Willow Lane Primary School have been chosen to go to the ceremony and greet his majesty. What roads will be shut? Ch Supt Hassan Khan of Lancashire Police said there will be some disruption to traffic in the is expected to be very busy and people are advised to allow extra time for their will be road closures and diversions in place by Lancaster Castle from about 06:00 and restricted access areas have been created to allow for public viewing and event parking bays on St Mary's Parade will be suspended until 21:00 BST., while Dallas Road car park will be closed from 06:00 until 18:00 except by prior and business owners in the Castle Hill and Castle Park area have been contacted directly with details of alternative expecting deliveries have been told to reschedule for another will not be able to gain access to areas adjacent to St George's Quay due to road closures and the low railway bridge on the quayside. What has the council said? A spokesman for Lancaster City Council said "We appreciate these arrangements may cause some inconvenience and thank you in advance for your cooperation." A range of local organisations are working closely together to make sure the visit is a "proud and memorable moment for the city of Lancaster", he The authority added: "We hope you will take the opportunity to witness this historic occasion, and we thank you for helping to make it a success." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Times
King Charles net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2025
What is King Charles's net worth?▲ £640 million£610 million in 2024 The magnitude of the King's wealth continues to divide opinion. Some commentators insist that Charles III is a billionaire, arguing that the Duchy of Lancaster and even the Crown Estate are his personal assets. We disagree. Both these estates come with the job as sovereign and there are rules circumscribing a monarch's ability to sell or profit from them. To consider these the King's personal holdings would be akin to an executive viewing the office laptop or the company car parked on their driveway as their own. • The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 revealed Then there is the even more confusing question of the monarch's mass of art and jewellery, as
