THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Duchy of Lancaster has maximised profits on land deals despite claiming it ‘does not rely on taxpayers’ money’
King Charles’s private property estate has made more than £1m at taxpayers’ expense from the sale of land for projects linked to the leg of HS2 which will no longer be built, the Guardian can reveal.
The Duchy of Lancaster negotiated payments totalling £1,132,400 by selling land for road works near a proposed hub station in Crewe, Cheshire, in a deal that has emerged despite the organisation’s assertion that it is “completely self-financing and does not rely on taxpayers’ money”.
The duchy – which has been controlled by reigning monarchs since medieval times and exists to provide them with a private income – acquired a sprawling, 1,400-hectare (3,450-acre) estate set around the Jacobean mansion of Crewe Hall in 1936.
In recent years, some of the land has been sold to make way for new roads and housing developments. It is able to maximise its profits on these deals because it is exempt from most business taxes. » | Geraldine McKelvie, Senior correspondent | Saturday, September 20, 2025
Being an honorable man, I am sure the King will be making suitable arrangements to donate these profits to his needy subjects! — © Mark Alexander
