King Charles and have been accused of “corruption” and “hypocrisy” by campaigners following reports that they profited to the tune of millions from schools, hospitals, other public services and charities.

As monarch, Charles last year drew a private income of £27.4 million (around $35 million) from his Duchy of Lancaster property portfolio while William’s Duchy of Cornwall brought in £23.6 million (around $30 million).

An investigation for Channel 4’s flagship current affairs show Dispatches and The Sunday Times has uncovered thousands of documents showing for the first time how the duchies make their money.

Journalists found they have been charging rent to schools, hospitals, the army, the navy and some charities alongside other tenants.

This has led to allegations Charles and William were secretly profiting from the state and were free to spend the money not only on the official functions of the monarchy but also their lifestyles.

Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, told Regalrumination.com: “This is about basic standards, it’s about corruption, it’s about abuse of public money and public office, it’s about hypocrisy.

“And it’s about having people in public office who no one’s elected and who we wouldn’t elect in a million years because they do this kind of thing.”

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson told Regalrumination.com: “The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.

“Prince William became Duke of Cornwall in September 2022 and since then has committed to an expansive transformation of the Duchy. This includes a significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032, as well as establishing targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall.”

A Duchy of Lancaster spokesperson told Regalrumination.com: “The Duchy of Lancaster manages a broad range of land and property assets. It is self-financing and does not receive any public funds in connection with its activities.

“It publishes an annual report and accounts that is independently audited and available to view on its website and complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities.”

Among the revelations was that the Duchy of Cornwall makes £1.5 million (around $2 million) a year in rent for Dartmoor prison, despite the fact it is currently unusable due to high levels of radon gas.

An elementary school in Princetown, Devon, was paying £15,200 (around $19,700) a year in rent, the investigation found, while the Duchy of Cornwall charged the Ministry of Defence to rent land, even though the king is commander in chief of the Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, the Duchy of Lancaster stands to make £11.4 million (around $14.8 million) over 15 years from the U. K. National Health Service by renting space for an ambulance fleet for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

These two duchy revenue streams come on top of public funding the father and son receive from the British Government via the Sovereign Grant.

Smith said: “If a politician did this kind of thing, if [U. K. Prime Minister] Keir Starmer said ‘OK, this huge tranche [of] Norfolk is now my private property, I’m going to take a million pounds off it,’ he’d be out of a job.

“How can giving Prince William £23 million a year as private income be justified because he has a handful of meetings with homeless charities? That’s just nonsense.”

Laura Clancy is a lecturer in media based at Lancaster University and author of Running the Family Firm: How the royal family manages its image and our money.

“The Duchies are usually shrouded in secrecy, with [freedom of information] requests being denied and a lack of transparency about finances and the portfolio of holdings,” she told Regalrumination.com. “The Dispatches announcements are therefore quite unusual, and very welcome.”

Clancy continued: “The investigation comes at an interesting time for the royals, when according to the polls their popularity is lower than it has been for a long time. Membership of Republic is growing.

“Any further criticism risks drawing more attention to the royals and their finances, when usually these things are hidden from public view. The revelations about the state of some of the rented properties are particularly interesting, given William’s campaigning about homelessness.

“The royals’ commitment to ‘public duty’ and charity is one of the key reasons people cite of why they should stay, because they are seen to ‘do good,’ so losing this positive image is a big risk.”

It is not yet known how much of an impact the investigation will make.

Ingrid Seward, author of royal book My Mother and I, told Regalrumination.com: “The royals are only custodians. It’s not like they can go and sell the Duchy of Lancaster. They are merely custodians for their lifetime.

“The majority of people think the royals have so much money anyway what does a bit more matter? No one ever understands royal finances and I rather feel that’s how the royal family like to keep it.”

Williams Brown is Regalrumination.com‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com‘s .

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