The monarch and Prince William have sparked uproar after it was revealed they are benefiting from rental deals with public services – including the armed forces and state schools – on their private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The two estates earned the royals upwards of £50m in the last financial year, with both being exempt from paying corporation tax or capital gains tax.
Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year 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.
Campaigners described the deal as “disgraceful” and a “money-grabbing activity” which ought to be reconsidered by the King.
“I think it is disgraceful actually, given the NHS is under so much pressure, for the royal family to charge for ambulance parking and other NHS uses,” Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told the Daily Mail. “[It] sounds rather like a money-grabbing activity. And I would hope because of the publicity there will be a rethink in the royal household.”
The investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times also reported last year that William’s Duchy of Cornwall had charged the navy more than £1m since 2004 to build and use jetties and moor warships on the Cornish coastline.
The investigation found that the Duchy will also earn around £600,000 over the lifetime of six different leases agreed with local state schools.
Denne historien er fra November 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Last thing I saw was that half of Syria was liberated'
Former Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini speaks candidly to Jack Rathborn about her country's future after the dramatic removal of the dictator Bashar al-Assad earlier this month
The 30 medal sports legend you may not have heard of
A Paralympic veteran, Sarah Storey tells Luke Baker why we struggle to celebrate para-athletes doing incredible things
Haaland's spot-kick sums up limp and lifeless City
So, no Christmas miracle for the man christened Josep. Instead, his new normal continued.
Gakpo emerges as Reds' latest game-changing star
Liverpool are accustomed to singing about walking through the storm.
Labour won't kill the British pub - but some will still die
The institution is safe for the time being but Budget tax hikes will affect those that are already struggling
China greenlight 'world's biggest' hydro dam in Tibet.despite flooding concerns
China has approved the construction of the world's largest hydropower dam on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau despite protests over its ecological impact and concerns it could affect millions of people downstream in India and Bangladesh.
Asia marks 20 years since.tragic Boxing Day tsunami
One of world's worst natural disasters claimed 228.000 lives
Israel confirms attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen
Israel's military has confirmed that it struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen yesterday, including Sanaa International Airport and three ports along the western coast.
Syria's rebels planned years ahead for life after Assad
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commanders talk to Bel Trew about the planning and military innovations that brought them victory
Moscow 'foiled' multiple Ukraine assassination plots
Russia has claimed it has foiled several Ukrainian plots to assassinate senior officers and their families using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders.
