Prince William reviews Duchy of Cornwall's charity rental policies

THE Prince of Wales is overseeing an "era of deep change" at the Duchy of Cornwall in the wake of criticism over multimillion-pound deals the landed estate struck with public bodies.

- by LAURA ELSTON

William's duchy, which provides him with a private income of almost £23 million a year, has launched a policy review of the rents it receives from charities and grassroots community groups.

Will Bax, the duchy’s new secretary and keeper of records, who took on the role at the start of 2025, revealed, as the estate published its annual accounts last Monday, that grassroots groups - such as an orchard used for therapeutic gardening - who are direct tenants will have their rents waived, while local charities will see up to a 50% reduction in rent.

He said William wanted to ensure the duchy operated in a “modern, socially-minded way” and that the rents being saved amounted to a “very significant sum”.

It follows an investigation last November into the prince’s Duchy and the Duchy of Lancaster estate, which provides a private income for the King, by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times which found the estates had secured rental agreements worth millions of pounds with the Armed Forces, the NHS and state schools.

Mr Bax said the duchy was also looking at including schools in the community groups which would be eligible for the rent waiver.

The investigation last year revealed the duchy was set to earn around £600,000 over the lifetime of six different leases agreed with local state schools.