November 2nd 2024.
The latest Channel 4 Dispatches investigation reveals that King Charles and Prince William, two prominent members of the British royal family, are secretly earning millions of pounds from various public services. This shocking revelation has sparked concerns about the ethics and transparency of the royal family's financial dealings.
The inquiry, conducted by Channel 4 Dispatches, alleges that while the monarch and heir to the throne's private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, generate a staggering £50 million a year, they also receive significant sums of money from public services. These include government departments, schools, the armed forces, and even the National Health Service (NHS).
According to documents made public for the first time, the Duchy of Lancaster has struck a deal with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, which will result in an £11.4 million profit for the estate. This deal involves housing the NHS's new fleet of electric ambulances. Similarly, the Duchy of Cornwall has signed a £37 million lease agreement with the Ministry of Justice for the currently inactive Dartmoor Prison. It has also charged the navy over £1 million to build and use jetties and moor warships, and earns nearly £600,000 from rental agreements with state schools.
The Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are vast portfolios of land, property, and assets owned by the monarch and heir to the throne respectively. These estates, dating back to the 14th century, are exempt from paying Corporation Tax or Capital Gains Tax. They consist of key urban developments, historic buildings, high-quality farmland, and areas of natural beauty.
The documentary features insights from author and royal land expert Guy Shrubsole, who raises concerns about the source of the Duchies' profits. He questions why public services, like the NHS, are paying significant sums to the estates instead of utilizing more affordable options. He also highlights the potential conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in these financial dealings.
The investigation further reveals that the Duchy of Cornwall has earned at least £22 million since 2005 from a share of the rents paid on Camelford House, which is nicknamed "charity towers" due to the number of charities it houses. This raises questions about the ethics of the King and Prince of Wales profiting from the very causes they support, such as cancer charities Marie Curie and Macmillan, which have recently downsized.
The documentary also sheds light on the estates' investments in controversial mining companies, which are threatening the environment that the King and Prince William have publicly advocated for protecting. This includes leasing land to a major polluter in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
In addition to these revelations, Dispatches also uncovers the mistreatment of tenants on the Duchies' land. The investigation reveals that some tenants are living in cold and mouldy homes, despite paying high rents to the estates.
As the public becomes aware of these shocking findings, questions are raised about the ethics and integrity of the royal family and their financial dealings. The King, The Prince & Their Secret Millions: Dispatches airs tonight at 8.10pm on Channel 4, providing a closer look at these concerning matters.
According to a new investigation, King Charles and Prince William have been receiving millions of pounds from various public services, including government departments, schools, the armed forces, and even the NHS. The latest Channel 4 Dispatches inquiry has revealed that while the monarch and heir to the throne's private estates - the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall - are not funded by taxpayers, they still receive significant amounts of money from public services.
The documents made public for the first time show that the Duchy of Lancaster has a deal with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust to house their new fleet of electric ambulances, earning them a whopping £11.4 million. Furthermore, the Duchy of Cornwall has signed a £37 million deal to lease Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice and charged the navy over £1 million for using their jetties and mooring their warships. They also stand to make almost £600,000 from rental agreements with state schools over the course of six different leases.
Dating back to the 14th century, the Duchy of Lancaster is a vast portfolio of land, property, and assets held in trust for the Sovereign. It includes urban developments, historic buildings, high-quality farmland, and areas of breathtaking natural beauty. Similarly, the Duchy of Cornwall, valued at over £1 billion, serves as a source of income for the heir to the throne. These estates are exempt from paying Corporation Tax or Capital Gains Tax.
Author and royal land expert Guy Shrubsole shared his thoughts on the matter in the documentary, stating that it seems odd for taxpayers to be paying for the NHS to lease a warehouse from the Duchy of Lancaster. He also raised questions about the profits made by these estates and why they are not charging peppercorn or social rents to these public services.
The documentary, titled "The King, The Prince & Their Secret Millions: Dispatches," will air tonight at 8.10pm on Channel 4. In the next segment, the investigation delves into the accusation that the King and Prince of Wales are taking money from the charities they champion. It reveals that the Duchy of Cornwall has made at least £22 million since 2005 from a share of the rents paid on Camelford House, a building nicknamed "charity towers" due to the number of charities it houses.
Interestingly, two cancer charities with the King as their long-term patron - Marie Curie and Macmillan - have recently downsized, with the latter stating that it wanted to free up funds. The documents also allegedly reveal how government departments, schools, and the NHS are struggling to generate cash for Charles and William.
The documentary also sheds light on the fact that Charles became the patron of St John's Ambulance last year, which previously paid the Duchy of Cornwall almost £60,000 for the use of their land. The RNLI, of which the King is also a patron and William and Kate are supporters, is still being charged small amounts to use slipways in different parts of the South West.
Baroness Margaret Hodge, former Labour MP and chair of the public accounts committee, expressed her concerns about the situation, stating that in the court of public opinion, the royals must be "cleaner than clean." She also questioned the income earned by these charities with royal patronage, which is then used to pay rent back to the royals.
Both the King and Prince William have been vocal about the need to protect the environment, with Charles stating that unless we restore nature, our own economy and survivability will be in danger. William also emphasized the shared responsibility to protect and restore nature, clean the air, revive the oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix the climate. However, Dispatches has uncovered investments by their estates that threaten the environment they claim to care about.
The Duchies own thousands of mineral rights and have struck deals with controversial mining companies for sites across the country. For instance, in the Hingston Down, an area of outstanding natural beauty, the Duchy of Cornwall has leased land to one of the biggest polluters in Europe.
The investigation also reveals that the tenants of these estates are living in cold and mouldy homes, despite paying high rents. It raises questions about the morality of the royals making millions while their tenants suffer. The documentary, "The King, The Prince & Their Secret Millions: Dispatches," will air tonight at 8.10pm on Channel 4, shedding light on these issues surrounding the King and Prince of Wales.
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