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The King is under pressure to refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is charging one trust at least £11.4million in rent to store a fleet of electric ambulances.
An investigation found the private estates of both King Charles and Prince William make millions of pounds from the NHS, the Armed Forces and charities.
Land and property owned by the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall is also rented out to schools, mining companies and big businesses, among others.
The investigation found the Duchy of Lancaster, on behalf of the King, has a deal with one London trust that will see the NHS pay more than £11million over 15 years for the right to park ambulances in one of its warehouses.
Documents show the duchy is earning £830,000 a year from renting the two-storey warehouse to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
Dennis Reed from campaign group for the elderly Silver Voices, told The Mail: ‘I think it is disgraceful actually, given the NHS is under so much pressure, for the Royal Family to charge for ambulance parking and other NHS uses.
The estates have helped make the British royal family one of the richest in the world, generating almost £50 million for the King and the Prince of Wales in the last year alone
The Duchy of Cornwall, helmed by Prince William , says that ‘it is not a public body, nor is it funded by the taxpayer’
‘[It] sounds rather like a money-grabbing activity.
‘And I would hope because of the publicity there will be a rethink in the Royal Household.’
The astonishing findings show:
- The Duchies have struck deals worth at least £50 million with public services such as the NHS, state schools and the Armed Forces;
- The Ministry of Justice is paying £37.5 million over 25 years to use Dartmoor prison, which is currently empty because of radon gas;
- Charles and William have made at least £22 million in rent from charities over 19 years – sometimes while serving as their patrons;
- Homes rented out by the royal estates fail government energy efficiency standards and leave tenants struggling with mould;
- Prince William, who tomorrow heads to South Africa for his eco Earthshot Prize, has allowed controversial mining companies to drill on Duchy of Cornwall land.
The investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times examined the land and properties the two leading royals own through the duchies.
It identified 5,410 landholdings, mineral rights and properties held by the Duchy of Lancaster, on the King’s behalf, and the Duchy of Cornwall, for the prince, and then examined business agreements and leases linked to these plots.
It found the duchies impose levies for the right to cross rivers or dump waste in them; offload cargo on to the shore; run cables under their beaches; operate lifeboats, and even dig graves.
The King is under pressure to refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is charging one trust at least £11.4million in rent to store a fleet of electric ambulances
The total asset value of the Duchy – a portfolio of land, property and assets held in trust for the Sovereign – rose by almost 3 per cent from £533 million to £548 million. Part of the estate is the medieval Lancaster Castle (pictured)
The 18,433 hectare Duchy estate, which was founded in the 13th century is a unique portfolio of land and assets in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Staffordshire. Another asset is Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire (pictured)
The Duchy of Cornwall also receives rent for Dartmoor Prison, with the Ministry of Justice paying £37.5million.
Charities have paid millions to rent a 1960s office block in London. They include Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care, where Charles is patron. The investigation also found private residential properties rented out by both duchies fail to meet minimum energy efficiency requirements.
A Duchy of Lancaster spokesman said: ‘The day-to-day management of the portfolio is the responsibility of the Council and executive team.’ Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
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