Now that King Charles is on the throne, he’s in charge of the Duchy of Lancaster, while Prince William is in charge of the Duchy of Cornwall. Both duchies are the two largest feudal landholders in the UK, they represent the two largest real estate empires in the UK. In a Medieval twist, the Duchy of Lancaster also collects millions in profits from dead people too. The Guardian did another extensive report about the f–ked up finances of the Windsors, and this one is a humdinger.
The king is profiting from the deaths of thousands of people in the north-west of England whose assets are secretly being used to upgrade a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate, the Guardian can reveal. The Duchy of Lancaster, a controversial land and property estate that generates huge profits for King Charles III, has collected tens of millions of pounds in recent years under an antiquated system that dates back to feudal times.
Financial assets known as bona vacantia, owned by people who died without a will or known next of kin, are collected by the duchy. Over the last 10 years, it has collected more than £60m in the funds. It has long claimed that, after deducting costs, bona vacantia revenues are donated to charities.
However, only a small percentage of these revenues is being given to charity. Internal duchy documents seen by the Guardian reveal how funds are secretly being used to finance the renovation of properties that are owned by the king and rented out for profit.
The duchy essentially inherits bona vacantia funds from people whose last known address was in a territory that in the middle ages was known as Lancashire county palatine and ruled by a duke. Today, the area comprises Lancashire and parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria.
A leaked internal duchy policy from 2020 gave officials at the king’s estate licence to use bona vacantia funds on a broad array of its profit-generating portfolio. Codenamed “SA9”, the policy acknowledges spending the money in this way could result in an “incidental” benefit to the privy purse, the king’s personal income.
Properties identified in other leaked documents as eligible for use of the funds include town houses, holiday lets, rural cottages, agricultural buildings, a former petrol station and barns, including one used to facilitate pheasant and partridge shoots in Yorkshire. Upgrades include new roofs, double-glazing windows, boiler installations and replacements of doors and lintels. One document references the renovation of an old farmhouse in Yorkshire, helping transform it into a high-end residential let. Another upgrade is helping turn a farm building into commercial offices.
The king’s people have been doing desperate damage control since the Guardian published this ghoulish story. It’s actually insane to me that this has been happening for centuries and people are only discovering it now? Does England not have a more regulated legal framework for what happens when any citizen/subject dies intestate? If someone dies in Lancashire and there are no heirs or a will, the Duchy immediately steps in, grabs everything and puts those profits back into Duchy real estate? The palace ran to the BBC and they tried to put a bow on it and clarify that some of the money does go to charity, but now it seems like the Duchy is saying “okay, mistakes were made, we’ll give it ALL to charity now.” In 2023. Centuries after the fact.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- King Charles III during a visit to the Discovery Centre and Auld School Close in Tomintoul, to hear more about the £3.3million energy efficient housing project in the area. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Tomintoul, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 13 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- King Charles III during a visit to officially open the MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre at Dumfries House Featuring: King Charles III Where: Cumnock, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend a dinner at Mansion House in London, to recognise the work of the City of London civic institutions and Livery Companies, the city’s ancient and modern trade guilds. Featuring: King George III, Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, United Kingdom When: 18 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- King Charles III during a reception to thank those involved in the planning and arrangements following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation at Buckingham Palace. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla view part of the Royal Collection relating to the Royal family’s long standing connection to the nation at a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK at Buckingham Palace, central London, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge ahead of their Majesties state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance (SOFEA) surplus food distribution centre, in Didcot, Oxfordshire for the official launch of The Coronation Food Project, which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom Featuring: King Charles III Where: Oxford, United Kingdom When: 14 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Yikes. The wheels are truly coming off the bus now. Surely they do the same at the Duchy of Cornwall? But never fear, they’ll find a way to blame the Sussexes in 3 ….2…. 1….
Omg?!?! What the fuck is wrong in England!? What kind of sick system do they have there?!?!
If such a case occurs, then the assets will pass to the state, i.e. to the general public and NOT to some disturbed rich private individuals. How sick!!!
Why is there is no revolt!?!
I imagine that Willy is doing the same on the Duchy of Cornwall estates.
@Harla, yes he is, and it’s another sht storm that’s going to hit the UK royal grifters!!, isn’t it funny how they deny, deny, deny and the minute there is indisputable proof, it’s oops sorry, you can forget about it now because it’s all being sorted! Maybe someone should ask if the Interest that would have been garnered of that 6,million, will be added to the monies handed to charity.. Let’s keep an eye on earth shts finances to make sure it doesn’t find its way there!!
Yes, willy boy is doing the same thing.
Just when you think they can’t get any lower they get even lower! Profiting off of dead people with no wills. He and trump are grifters of the highest degree!! I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by this because of the way he treats his son!
I know I’m going to get flamed for this BUT, it’s interesting that this has come out now. QEII was in charge of the DoL but absolutely nothing was said. If it was it was quickly overshadowed by something/one else. What’s not mentioned in this article but, in the series of Guardian articles is that the Duchy of Cornwall also benefits from the same legislation. These people have been ripping off the public for years and yet we’re supposed to believe they bring in more to the country than what they take out. These people pay no inheritance tax, we pay for their funerals, we contribute to their board and lodging, their security and give them the option on whether they should pay tax. I would really like to see a report which details (to the last penny) how much they bring and how much they take out.
My take is that various stories like this were known about but sat on while she was alive as she was seen as such an integral part of the UK. Now that we have a much less popular monarch the gloves are coming off and they will land better.
It’s so disgusting. The press in England liked a woman who just happened to be pretty when her coronation came around, that they have continued to sit on truly horrendous things, because they respected a woman who was very young when she became monarch, but was, in fact, just as duplicitous as any of the English monarchs.
The never complain, never explain makes more and more sense, as the details come out. QEII was entirely uneducated, and decided to just wave, and wave, and wave, her life away. While she also made sure to protect her heirs from any sort of taxation on the grotesque amounts of money this stupid family has, while also making sure that no one looked too closely at diversity in any of the palaces, among many other things.
Laura, if you have time there is a great documentary on YouTube titled “The Man Who Shouldn’t be King.” It explores how and why duchies were set up and the nature of charles as experience and witnessed by residents of the duchy of cornwall, including the fear, uneasiness, greed, and ruthless nature of charles. It is quite a compelling documentary.
Thanks @Jeminma J I’ll check it out tonight. 🙂
Why would you get flamed? What you wrote is spot on. You are among friends here.
Grifters gonna grift.
But they’ll be the first to declare how special, god-appointed, and deserving they are.
What a horde of crooks! They really are a trash family.
It’s gross and medieval, but even in the U.S. the assets of people who die intestate and without heirs will eventually go to the government of their state to do with what it will.
This is also the case in England EXCEPT for Lancashire and Cornwall. IMHO it makes more sense for the money to go to the Treasury and for them to use it to benefit society as a whole. For the monies to go to an incredibly wealthy family whose rank and privilege is already supported by the taxpayers (many of whom will be living below the poverty line) is downright offensive.
At least, with the state governments there’s some chance the money will go towards something that benefits the citizens.
But it goes to the government in the US, this is directly into the pockets of the monarch and his heir. That’s the difference. If all unclaimed property went straight to Bezos I’m pretty sure there’d be a revolution.
The Duchy of Cornwall does the same thing. The Royal Family shouldn’t be getting money from the State.
I think I learned about this in primary school (in the early 2000s) – I was told at the time that if you didn’t have a will or a named next of kin, the government would get everything. Or in the case of England, the queen would get it (now the king). My history teacher at the time was staunchly anti-establishment, government and monarchy alike. Wild that after all this time, he’s still right.
In the rest of the country is goes to the treasury I believe so there’s a more direct route back to the public, it’s these two duchies that are the issue.
I figured my history teacher didn’t get into the specifics of duchies because we were like eight at the time lol but thank you for that clarification. It’s bonkers that certain parts of the country become “free for all”s for the BRF, that this level of grifting exists at all given how much the royals receive from the public already is horrific.
Not surprising. By his own statements, Charles is a distant relative of Vlad the Impaler, the model for Dracula. Good old Drac sucked the blood out of people. Charles sucks the money out instead (because blood is so icky and disease prone, more sanitary).
It all just confirms that the royals are blood-sucking leeches.
Hey C-Rex – How about giving it back to the rightful heirs? I thought I also read that the heirs can’t sue? Ridiculous! I had heard about this years ago but thought it must have been accepted by the public since nothing was done. Its great that its being brought to the public’s attention. Stealing and hoarding land and wealth (and m_rdering) for 1000 years. The damage this monarchy has done and continues to do to so many people is beyond criminal. Why is the govt allowing this? And why do they keep giving these tax dodgers raises?
Chantal1 you are correct in that the king cannot be sued.
tick tock!
honestly I just hope I live long enough to witness the collapse of the whole wretched system.
I read this yesterday in the Guardian and I really hope this story doesn’t get buried (no pun intended). shine the light on these cockroaches and watch them scurry!
This subject, in the documentary “The Man Who Shouldn’t be King”, was touched upon briefly. The documentary on YouTube briefly illuminated the situation as follows beginning when he took possession at age 21:
(1) he claimed possession of properties from deceased residents of the duchy of cornwall
(2) had people patrolling and noting any upgrades to let apartments, houses, or businesses and whether or not the rent increased, if so by how much, and then demanded his increased portion
(3) charles ignored the country and ministers while pursuing his own agenda and interest’
(4) refused to upkeep the roads which were only slap fixed for the documentary and only on the roads traveled or shown during the filming
(5) charged the government, who passed of the costs to taxpayers, any upkeep or repairs for projects undertaken by charles that did not go well and needed construction to repair or replace damaged structures or land such as his failed oyster bed scheme which destroyed a port
6) exposed charles’ rude, pettiness, vindictive nature, and hateful attitude towards his subjects. People in the documentary admitted being afraid of him.
This is some of what it exposed. The title was very apropos.
Gross. The Daily Fail only published the tiniest article about that story in an ocean of articles about Endgame and the Sussexes.
So this story was timed to drop right before the release of Scobie’s book? The invisible contract is really the barely camouflaged contract. I desperately hope that the next government decides to impose austerity-measures on the RF.
This would be a good time to bring up the exemption from tenant’s rights laws that are also enjoyed by the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall. Because, God forbid, the heir and the monarch be required to follow the same rules as the rest of the country
EVERYONE should have a will. I don’t care if you are 22 and your only asset is a phone. Get it done asap. Those of you in the UK, (and the Commonwealth) don’t make it easy for this shitstain of a family to take your assets.
The royals are such vultures.