What Are the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster and Why Are They Controversial With the Royals Right Now?

The Duchy of Cornwall and Duchy of Lancaster have been making plenty of headlines in recent days thanks to an investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4 that exposed some of the Royal Family’s financial dealings.

As the current Prince of Wales, Prince William is the beneficiary of the Duchy of Cornwall, a hereditary estate that was established in 1337 by King Edward III, primarily to provide income for the heir to the British throne. Meanwhile, King Charles, who was the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, held the title of Duke of Cornwall until his mother died in 2022. Now, The King profits from the Duchy of Lancaster, a different private estate of property and other assets owned by the monarch and established in 1265.

Neither of these estates are taxpayer funded and operate as private businesses. However, there's been quite a bit of public outrage after learning how King Charles and Prince William earn money from their respective duchies.

Per the Sunday Times, the media outlet partnered with Channel 4's Dispatches show to carry out a five-month investigation and "discovered how the duchies are making millions of pounds each year by charging government departments, councils, businesses, mining companies and the general public via a series of commercial rents and feudal levies." This includes the National Health Service (NHS).

The report’s findings revealed that the King and Prince of Wales have made than $28 million in rent from charities over the last 19 years from their respective duchies—and some of the rental properties managed by the Duchy of Cornwall aren’t exactly up to par.

Per the investigation (via Cornwall Live) some of the homes "are riddled with damp and black mold" and "fail to meet the minimum legal energy efficiency standards for landlords."

As for the NHS, King Charles's Duchy of Lancaster landed a $14 million deal "to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years," according to the Independent.

While many Brits have taken to social media to express their outrage over the report—especially amid Prince William's new documentary about ending homelessness—others have pointed out that the duchies are separate from the money taxpayers use to fund the monarchy's activities.

"How obscene for one family to hoard wealth that has been given to them (or the ability to buy these investments) by their ‘subjects,'" one person commented on a Dispatches Instagram post about the show.

Another presented an opposing view, writing, "Well, to query what the state pays them is one thing, but how they run their private businesses is their business. Every business owner makes profit."

According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Duchy of Lancaster said that it "complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities."