Prince William has announced he intends to sell off 20% of his Duchy of Cornwall property over a period of 10 years. He hopes to use this money (an estimated £500 million), to invest in local communities, including affordable housing and environmental projects.
The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 to provide money for the king’s heir, at that point, The Black Prince, son of Edward III. In 2025, Prince William received £23m from the estate.
The announcement has provoked the usual binary comment. On the one hand, cynics like former Home Office Minister, Normal Baker suggest it’s just a case of ‘More houses, more tenants, more income’. On the other, the Prince appears to be following in his father’s aims to make things better for society at a time when affordable housing is desperately needed.
The focus of the announcement is obviously on Cornwall. The county in particular is suffering as its fabulous coastal properties and glorious old stone farmsteads have been sold off to wealthy incomers, second home owners or for holiday lets. With the local economy struggling, dependent on tourism/hospitality, the next generation of locals can’t afford a property toenail-hold in the land of their ancestors.
Faversham Development
Yes, Faversham is in Kent, not Cornwall (read on), but the Duchy of Cornwall bought farmland in 1999 between the M2 and A2 near Brenley Corner. In March 2026, Swale Borough Council granted approval for the construction of 2,500 homes to be called the ‘South East Faversham’ estate.
This property development has been hugely controversial, with the locals’ concern for their ever-decreasing green space and its creatures being overridden.
Other examples of developments controlled by the Duchy include Poundbury (West Dorset) and Nansledan (on the outskirts of Newquay, Cornwall). Will Prince William involve himself as intimately in the Faversham development as King Charles famously did at Poundbury?
And, how is the Faversham development in line with the Duchy’s 2025 Impact Report goals for the future?
Duchy of Cornwall Impact Report’s four core goals for the future:
- To become a net zero estate by 2032.
- To work with partners to address homelessness in the areas in which the Duchy operates.
- To provide exemplary mental healthcare provision for estate staff and tenants.
- To deliver value to estate communities whilst growing the Duchy of Cornwall income. (our italics).
The South East Faversham estate certainly promises to help with the last aim, much as another historic institution, Eton College, is trying to profit by building 3,500 houses at unspoiled East Chiltington in Sussex.
The Devon estates, which cover much of Dartmoor, comprise over 50,000 acres of common land which has been used by local farmers for hundreds of years to graze cattle, sheep and ponies. The Duchy has promoted mental health support for beleaguered farmers through its partnership with We Are Farming Minds. The BBC and recent newspaper articles have reported that much of that is being undone by the prospect of eviction from properties and ‘family’ farms that for hundreds of years have been tenanted by the same families. The Duchy has promised first refusal to tenants of properties that will be sold, but some are not – and never will be – in a position to purchase. Farms, in particular, are large properties commanding large prices.
Duchy of Cornwall Geography: not quite what it says on the tin!
The estate comprises 129,000 acres (according to the Duchy’s website).
86% of that is outside Cornwall.
According to whoownsengland.org, in 2017, Duchy lands comprised:
- Cornwall 18,530 acres including most of the shoreline and sea bed
- Devon 70,000 acres, its largest landholding, including peatland, woodland and marine areas.
- Scilly Isles 3,921 acres
- Somerset 5,945 acres
- Dorset 3,264 acres
- Herefordshire 13,276 acres
- Gloucestershire 1,584 acres (this figure includes Prince Charles’s home at Highgrove)
- Bath and NE Somerset 8,390 acres
- Kent 3,246 acres
- Oxfordshire 1,433
- Brecon Beacons 192 acres
- Greater London 39 acres (including The Oval cricket ground).
According to the Duchy of Cornwall website, ‘The Duchy of Cornwall is on a mission to become a world-leading impact organisation, using its assets and convening power to deliver resilient, vibrant, and prosperous communities and ecosystems – now, and into the future. We create positive outcomes for people, nature, and communities, as well as returns that are reinvested with purpose.’
Certainly, by the end of 2025, the Duchy had restored nearly 3,000 acres of degraded peatland habitat, alongside over 4,300 acres of foreshore and river bed.
The website also claims ‘We’re committed to building healthy communities that offer all the benefits of modern living, while remaining deeply rooted, resilient, and inclusive. We design places where people feel a sense of belonging and homes are the foundation for opportunity, wellbeing, and long?term prosperity. By working with aligned and trusted partners, we ensure new homes respond to the most urgent local needs and have real opportunities for the people who live and work there.’
Let’s hope that the damage wrought on nature (human and other) by the sell-off of property and the destruction necessary for construction will, indeed, be reinvested in communities and preserving nature.
The Duchy of Cornwall: some facts:
The 700 year old Duchy employs over 200 people.
These range from conservation experts and foresters to community developers and archivists.
As stated, Edward III created the title for his son to provide the king’s heir with an income.
It is traditionally inherited by the monarch’s eldest son.
It is privately owned, not part of the Crown Estates (which is essentially the Government).
The title lapsed after Henry VIII/Edward VI and Parliament took control during the Civil War.
Monarchy was restored in 1660 with King Charles II who reconstituted the estate.
Traditionally, the reigning monarch’s eldest son inherits the Duchy.
In 1838, Parliament gave HRM Treasury financial oversight of the Duchy.
In the event of Duchy land having no tenant, it reverts to the Duchy, not the Crown (government).
It remains a massively important source of income for the current heir to the throne to finance his life and family as well as his estates.
Sources (mainly)
duchyofcornwall.org
cornwall.co.uk
whoownsengland.org
BBC website
ibtimes.co.uk