Carol Vorderman hits out at Royal Family's 'shocking' earnings

Former Countdown star Carol Vorderman has launched a scathing attack on King Charles and Prince William over their "shocking" and "grubby" earnings - after it was revealed how the Royals fund their extensive property portfolios.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, her eldest son Charles took to the throne, inheriting from his mother the Duchy of Lancaster - a portfolio of property, land and assets held in trust for the monarch.

Meanwhile, Prince William stepped into his father, King Charles', former role as Prince of Wales, assuming the title of Duke of Cornwall, and inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall, which is a similar portfolio that provides an income for the heir to the throne.

Both portfolios come with a vast fortune and thousands of acres of land - and now, a month's-long joint investigation by The Times and Channel 4 dispatches has uncovered just how the King and his heir fund their property empires.

The NHS, the Ministry of Justice, the Royal Navy, and charities such as Marie Curie and Macmillan, are among those paying rents to the royals in order to use land encompassed within the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.

While the government used to have access to an exhaustive inventory of lands held by the King and his successor, Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times have recently brought to light profitable tax-free arrangements benefiting the King, reportedly valued at about £610 million.

Official records reveal they levy charges for activities such as crossing rivers, offloading merchandise on shores, laying cables beneath beaches and various operations tied to schools, charities and even grave-digging.

The Duchy of Lancaster and The Duchy of Cornwall, acting as landlords, have an agreement with the Treasury that exempts them from paying taxes on their corporate profits. Despite this, neither the Duchy of Lancaster nor Cornwall are directly funded by the British taxpayer, but rather through leases and contracts in the names of King Charles and Prince William, reports the Mirror.

Last year, the Duchy of Lancaster generated a staggering £27.4m for King Charles, while the Duchy of Cornwall brought in £23.6m for Prince William. These funds can be used at their discretion, whether to maintain private residences, supplement personal income, or pay staff.

According to annual reports filed by the Duchies, the Duchy of Cornwall owns 3,536 properties, while the Duchy of Lancaster holds 1,874. The NHS has agreed to pay the Duchy of Lancaster a substantial £11 million over 15 years to rent a warehouse for ambulances, while the Ministry of Justice pays the Duchy of Cornwall £1.5 million annually for Dartmoor Prison.

After the results of the investigation were revealed over the weekend, Carol Vorderman, 63, who lives in Bristol, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her outrage to her 981,000 followers.

In a series of posts, she began by writing: "SHOCKING Sunday Times and Dispatches investigation into the grubby and secretive earnings of the Royal Family, including charging huge rents to Marie Curie & Macmillan charities WHICH THEY'RE PATRONS OF and which WE donate to. They get the money! The list is long."

She followed this up with another post that read: "Royal Family, Sunday Times and Dispatches. The list of secretive money to the Royals is truly shocking. Including NHS paying the King £11m (over 15 yrs) rent for a warehouse for ambulances... charging our NHS 67% MORE than for the previous tenants."

And lastly, a third X post from Vorderman stated: "Secretive finances of the Royal Family. Money from charities, NHS, armed forces... horrified. Shocking detail from Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches."

However, while Vorderman labels the revenue as "secretive", the financial reports for both Duchies are publicly published each year.

Responding to Vorderman's claims, a spokesperson for the Duchy of Lancaster told the Mirror: "The Duchy of Lancaster manages a broad range of land and property assets. It is self-financing and does not receive any public funds in connection with its activities.

"It publishes an annual report and accounts that is independently audited and available to view on its website and complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities."

Following the release of the documentary, a spokesperson for the Duchy of Lancaster commented to The Times: "The Duchy of Lancaster operates as a commercial company, managing a broad range of land and property assets across England and Wales. It complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities."

They added: "While His Majesty The King takes a close interest in the work of the duchy, the day-to-day management of the portfolio is the responsibility of the council and executive team.

"The financial and environmental performance of the duchy is disclosed each year in our published report and accounts which are independently audited and freely available on the Duchy of Lancaster website.

"The Duchy has made a number of key environmental improvements in recent years, delivering a significant increase in the number of A+, A and B EPC ratings awarded to our properties as a result of refurbishment or restoration works."

A representative for the Duchy of Cornwall also stated: "The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.

"Prince William became Duke of Cornwall in September 2022 and since then has committed to an expansive transformation of the duchy. This includes a significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032, as well as establishing targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall."