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Prince William has announced he intends to sell off 20% of his Duchy of Cornwall property over a period of 10 years.\u00a0 He hopes to use this money (an estimated \u00a3500 million), to invest in local communities, including affordable housing and environmental projects.<\/p>\n
The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 to provide money for the king\u2019s heir, at that point, The Black Prince, son of Edward III.\u00a0 In 2025, Prince William received \u00a323m from the estate.<\/p>\n
The announcement has provoked the usual binary comment.\u00a0 On the one hand, cynics like former Home Office Minister, Normal Baker suggest it\u2019s just a case of ‘More houses, more tenants, more income\u2019. On the other, the Prince appears to be following in his father\u2019s aims to make things better for society at a time when affordable housing is desperately needed.<\/p>\n
The focus of the announcement is obviously on Cornwall.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 With the local economy struggling, dependent on tourism\/hospitality, the next generation of locals can\u2019t afford a property toenail-hold in the land of their ancestors.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Faversham Development<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 In March 2026, Swale Borough Council granted approval for the construction of 2,500 homes to be called the \u2018South East Faversham\u2019 estate.<\/p>\n This property development has been hugely controversial, with the locals\u2019 concern for their ever-decreasing green space and its creatures being overridden.<\/p>\n Other examples of developments controlled by the Duchy include Poundbury (West Dorset) and Nansledan (on the outskirts of Newquay, Cornwall).\u00a0 Will Prince William involve himself as intimately in the Faversham development as King Charles famously did at Poundbury?<\/p>\n And, how is the Faversham development in line with the Duchy\u2019s 2025 Impact Report goals for the future?<\/p>\n Duchy of Cornwall Impact Report\u2019s four core goals for the future:<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 The Duchy has promoted mental health support for beleaguered farmers through its partnership with We Are Farming Minds.\u00a0 The BBC and recent newspaper articles have reported that much of that is being undone by the prospect of eviction from properties and \u2018family\u2019 farms that for hundreds of years have been tenanted by the same families.\u00a0 The Duchy has promised first refusal to tenants of properties that will be sold, but some are not \u2013 and never will be \u2013 in a position to purchase.\u00a0 Farms, in particular, are large properties commanding large prices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Duchy of Cornwall Geography: not quite what it says on the tin!<\/strong><\/p>\n The estate comprises 129,000 acres (according to the Duchy\u2019s website).<\/strong><\/p>\n 86% of that is outside Cornwall.<\/strong><\/p>\n According to whoownsengland.org, in 2017, Duchy lands comprised:<\/p>\n According to the Duchy of Cornwall website, \u2018The 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.\u2019<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The website also claims \u2018We\u2019re 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.\u2019<\/p>\n Let\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The Duchy of Cornwall: some facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n The 700 year old Duchy employs over 200 people.<\/p>\n These range from conservation experts and foresters to community developers and archivists.<\/p>\n As stated, Edward III created the title for his son to provide the king\u2019s heir with an income.<\/p>\n It is traditionally inherited by the monarch\u2019s eldest son.<\/p>\n It is privately owned, not part of the Crown Estates (which is essentially the Government).<\/p>\n The title lapsed after Henry VIII\/Edward VI and Parliament took control during the Civil War.<\/p>\n Monarchy was restored in 1660 with King Charles II who reconstituted the estate.<\/p>\n Traditionally, the reigning monarch\u2019s eldest son inherits the Duchy.<\/p>\n In 1838, Parliament gave HRM Treasury financial oversight of the Duchy.<\/p>\n In the event of Duchy land having no tenant, it reverts to the Duchy, not the Crown (government).<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sources (mainly)<\/u><\/p>\n duchyofcornwall.org<\/p>\n cornwall.co.uk<\/p>\n whoownsengland.org<\/p>\n BBC website<\/p>\n ibtimes.co.uk<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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