Investigation Reveals How King Charles and Prince William Earn Millions

Hold onto your crowns, folks, because we’ve got some royal financial intrigue to delve into. An investigation has emerged, unwrapping the mystery of how King Charles and Prince William manage to keep their coffers brimming with gold. Spoiler alert: it involves real estate!

In a joint effort that surely involved a fair share of sleuthing, The Sunday Times teamed up with Channel 4’s “Dispatches” to uncover the extravagant real estate portfolios of these royal bigwigs. Just imagine, if Sherlock Holmes had a property management division, this would be it!

The digging involved both the Duchy of Lancaster, overseen by King Charles, and the Duchy of Cornwall under Prince William’s watchful eye. Here’s the kicker, though: these assets aren’t just sitting pretty—they’re working overtime generating serious cash flow.

Picture large tracts of land, sprawling estates, and an assortment of properties that make them seem like the monopoly moguls of medieval Britain. Since time immemorial, these duchies have been family jewels in the literal sense, steadily printing royal money long after they’d first been claimed.

The details of these properties are largely shrouded in secrecy, adding a touch of mystery to their legacy. While parliamentary scrutiny has its limits, what we do know is quite fascinating. Apparently, these estates act as commercial landlords to numerous entities, leasing anything from land to square footage.

Who knew? They’ve been collecting dues for everything from the scenic view of a duck crossing to parking privileges and are even getting fees for burial plots. Yep, even six feet deep isn’t free! And it doesn’t stop there. The government, in a move that lines those royal pockets even more, pays up for utilizing royal land for various public services including where soldiers train and NHS operates.

For instance, just picture NHS riding on the royal dime (or spending one, in fact), as they’ve agreed to shell out $14.2 million over 15 years to rent ambulance space from the Duchy of Lancaster. Meanwhile, William’s cornered his own market, with $1.94 million coming in annually from the Ministry of Justice for some jailhouse real estate.

But wait, there’s more! Besides public entities, private companies, municipal councils, and even well-meaning charities are in the duchies’ pocket for land access. You name it—toll bridges, pipelines, car lots—if there’s land involved, it’s a sure bet there’s a royal fee.

And what about Uncle Sam? Er, perhaps King Bob? In the UK, it’s disclosed these duchies are given a tax break, purpose-built for royalty. A special Treasury deal lets them skip out on corporate taxes for all those estate profits. Despite this, both Charles and William strive to keep up altruistic appearances by volunteering to pay income tax on their royal revenue.

Charles, being the dutiful royal, reportedly paid a whopping $7.6 million tax bill, though offset some of this moolah by declaring expenses deemed “essential” for maintaining that royal flair. And William? The jury’s still out on his tax report, but presumably, he’s trotting a similar path.

Of course, these money-making duchies aren’t spiraled out of control totally. Both operate in a business-like fashion, carrying wealth, environmental actions, and innovation as part of their brand. William, in particular, has taken to sprucing up the Duchy of Cornwall, setting an eco-friendly tenet of making it net zero emissions by 2032.

And while Willy’s busy constructing an empire to bow down to environmental improvements, he’s not shy about shaking things up. He’s revamped the personnel roster, including cutting ties with his own side of the family—Annabel Elliot who once had a cushy interior design role.

In his own way, Charles has made runs at royal renewal, too. His move to cut off financial support for Prince Andrew underscores a determination to keep royal wallets tight and lean towards a more contemporary, financially fair monarchy.

As the investigations continue to unravel these twists and turns, public opinion is a right royal mess. While some call it greed, others consider it just good business. Welcome to the kingdom’s parallel to Wall Street!

Regardless of which side you’re on, King Charles and Prince William have proven to be adept at spinning straw (or rather, vast tracts of land) into gold. This investigation gives us a peek behind those palace doors, offering both admiration and criticism over their savvy earning abilities. Well, the crown surely adorns their heads—and wallets—as well.