As a royal author, I have come across plentiful examples of royal greed. It is standard practice for the royals to seek to minimise their personal expenditure while maximising their income from other sources, normally the public purse.
But the revelation that King Charles III’s personal slush fund, the Duchy of Lancaster, is having its already bulging coffers augmented by the estates of people who die in parts of England with historical links to the royal estate plumbs new depths of disgusting avarice.
Like many so-called traditions, the feudal hangover that is bona vacantia should have been consigned to the dustbin of history centuries ago, but it has been all too tempting for successive royals to preserve this royal fruit machine that pays out again and again. Over the past 10 years, it has collected more than £60m.
Under this system, the Duchy of Cornwall, owned by Prince William, can claim the assets of people who die in Cornwall intestate – without a will – if no relatives can be found. Charles’s Duchy of Lancaster does the same when their last known residence is within what was historically known as Lancashire county palatine. » | Norman Baker | Friday, November 24, 2023
As I have said before, it’s a case of gold, diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires for the royal family, and millions upon millions and millions per annum in pounds, but for the people, a few crumbs will have to do. And you’re lucky to get a few of those! Scratch around under your master’s table; collect what you can! According to French legend, at least Marie Antoinette had the generosity of spirit to tell the French peasants to eat cake!
Many years ago, I had the privilege of living for four years in Zürich, Switzerland. And what a great privilege that was! And what an eye-opener, too! A far superior way of life; and a far superior mentality as well. I so wish that this country could be run like Switzerland is run. There, it is taken for granted that it is not only the privileged few who deserve to live the good life. La dolce vita is afforded the many.
I have never heard of the working poor in Switzerland having to go to food banks to put food on the table for their young children. Nor have I heard of people being homeless and sleeping rough on the streets. So, if the Swiss are able to achieve such high standards, why can’t we?
There is something so grotesque and repulsive seeing a few people at the top of our society being able to live in grand splendour whilst the rest of us are expected simply to look on, fawn, and be grateful for small mercies.
One would have thought that in the twenty-first century, things would have turned out differently. I am not actually a republican, but when it comes to royalty, the government (of whatever stripe and hue) can find no end of money; yet when it comes, for example, to the triple lock, it is said to be unsustainable. Unsustainability is not a problem, however, when it comes to the finincing of the super-privileged lifestyles of the royal family.
This is the sad state of our once proud, Imperial nation. – © Mark Alexander
