👑 MINUTES AGO — PRINCE WILLIAM DROPS A MAJOR HINT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE MONARCHY — JUST SEVEN WORDS HAVE SPARKED A WAVE OF SPECULATION
I understand the Prince of Wales personally wanted to change the status quo.
The Prince of Wales has asked his staff to make sure he no longer personally benefits from the £1.5million annual rent paid to him by the Ministry of Justice for Dartmoor Prison.
Following criticism sparked by a Dispatches and Sunday Times investigation, revealing his Duchy is paid taxpayers’ money to lease the category C prison, the prince has chosen to act.
The funds will instead be put towards regenerating the local area, offering social, economic and environmental benefits to Princetown, the isolated rural community neighbouring the prison.
This appears to be the prince changing the way royals operate their duchies: moving from stewardship to active leadership.
Ian Patrick, the future King’s private secretary, has told GB News: “Prince William knows that for many people in Princetown, the prison has long been part of the fabric of the community.
“Its closure has created genuine uncertainty, not just about jobs and businesses, but about the future of the town itself.
“The duke felt strongly that, while those questions remain unanswered, the benefit of this income should remain in the community, helping local people shape that future.”
I suspect the Prince of Wales is aware he is in a uniquely privileged position; he has inherited a vast estate of valuable lands and property, known as the Duchy of Cornwall, from his father.
Prince William has hinted that big changes are to come for the monarchy
| GETTY
Becoming Duke of Cornwall is his birthright, yet in a cost-of-living crisis where successive Governments are forced to make tough financial choices, it is an uncomfortable truth that the heir to the throne is profiting from taxpayers’ hard-earned cash.
Perhaps the prince, too, thought this appeared to be unfair.
I understand he personally wanted to change the status quo to benefit the local community surrounding Dartmoor prison, rather than his own pocket.
Meanwhile, he also plans to sell 20 per cent of his lands and reinvest the proceeds (estimated to be valued at £500million) where he can have the greatest impact.
Prince William automatically inherited the title of Duke of Cornwall in 2022, along with the estate’s net surplus revenues, effectively transforming him into his father’s private landlord | GETTY
This is a big step; the Duchy was set up almost 700 years ago via a Royal Charter. Legally, it is his to keep for himself, but Prince William has other priorities.
He wants to support the health of communities, such as the recent prioritisation of farmers’ mental health by launching a special rural wellbeing strategy.
The prince also has net zero and nature restoration ambitions.
By focusing on five key areas of his portfolio (Cornwall, Isles of Scilly, Dartmoor, Bath and Kennington), perhaps the prince hopes to laser-focus on tailored support for the communities residing there.
I understand the Duchy has offered farming tenants residing on lands marked for sale the opportunity to buy them themselves – presumably at a generous price.
Despite the actions the prince has taken this year, it is thought he still profits from the Ministry of Defence, leasing land for military training and charging for access to college facilities and refuelling infrastructure.
Earlier this month, both the Defence Secretary and armed forces minister quit the Government in an argument with the Prime Minister over military funding.
I suspect the Prince of Wales is well aware of what some may perceive as an injustice.
However, he told a recent documentary: “I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do. A world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.”
The Prince of Wales is in this for the long game, and I predict there will be many more changes in the not-too-distant future.
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