Prince William earns six-figure sum from his secret car showroom

Prince William reportedly earns around £800,000 a year from a large car showroom located in the West Midlands - and it has led to come criticism from green campaigners

The idea that Prince William is making significant money from a secret car showroom might seem unlikely, but it's true.

In fact, the future King is earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year from this surprising source - but it has led to criticism from some green campaigners.

Much like his father, William has built a reputation for championing environmental issues - including the Earthshot Prize. But his links to the car showroom seem to be at odds with his green ideals.

William benefits from the lot thanks to the Duchy of Cornwall, which he inherited when his father acceded to the throne. The Duchy bought the sprawling complex in Solihull in April 2022 for £15m when the royal estate was still owned by King Charles, according to i news .The investment reportedly earns the Duchy £800,000 a year in rent.

The showroom complex does include some electric and hybrid cars on site, but is home to one of Europe's largest VW showrooms - which also houses partnerships with Volvo, Skoda and Mazda. The royal connection has raised eyebrows amongst environmentalists, who state it is at cross purposes with the royal family's green status.

The Duchy of Cornwall owns around 52,000-hectares of land across 20 counties in England. It makes money in a variety of ways, including financial investments, property development and leasing of the land it owns.

The Duchy was created in 1337 by King Edward III to provide an income for his son Edward, the 'Black Prince'. A Royal Charter established that the Duchy's land would always be held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch.

Once his father took the throne, Prince William became responsible for managing the Duchy of Cornwall estate, and he now meets twice a year with The Prince's Council, which gives advice on the running of the estate.

When it comes to day-to-day management, the Duchy has a Secretary and Keeper of the Records, a role which has been held by Alastair Martin since 2013. Other roles include Land Stewards who are responsible for the management of the Duchy's property interests in different areas and who report to a Rural Director.

The Duchy's latest accounts revealed Prince William was paid £23.6m from the business in 2023-24, the first full year after inheriting the estate from his father. Some of the profits go towards paying staff and fulfilling any financial commitments the business has. And any additional profit goes to Prince William as owner of the estate.

William did make a string of personal charitable donations to good causes following his payout. The Prince and his wife Kate embarked on a campaign of philanthropy by making undisclosed personal donations to charities linked to the war in Ukraine , as well as to earthquake appeals in Turkey and Syria. They also chipped in to make donations to the London Air Ambulance and other mental health charities.