Royal news live: King Charles and William ‘making millions from NHS and public services via property empire’
Prince William confronted by founder of The Big Issue in awkward interaction
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The King and the Prince of Wales are set to earn millions from public services and charities via their property empires, a bombshell new report has claimed.
The privates estates of both Charles and William – the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, respectively – have struck rental deals worth millions of pounds with the armed forces, the NHS and state schools, according to an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times.
The investigation reported that last year the Duchy of Lancaster agreed a deal to store a new fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses at a cost of £11.4 million over 15 years.
It also said the Duchy of Cornwall had charged the navy more than £1 million since 2004 to build and use jetties and moor warships on the Cornish coastline.
The duchy will also earn around £600,000 over the lifetime of six different leases agreed with local state schools, the investigation found.
It comes as a royal writer claimed the King will cut financial ties to the disgraced Duke of York after he refused to move out of his home.
Prince Andrew’s £1 million “living allowance”, received every year, has been withdrawn by Charles as he continues to seek to distance himself from his younger brother, according to Robert Hardman in the serialisation of his new book, published by the Daily Mail.
Key Points
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ICYMI: King ‘cuts financial ties to disgraced Prince Andrew after refusal to move out of home’
In what is a new low in the brothers’ relationship, Prince Andrew’s annual £1 million “living allowance” has been withdrawn by Charles, according to a new book by Robert Hardman.
The move will be seen as another step the monarch has taken to publicly distance himself from his younger brother following his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Hardman writes in his forthcoming book, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, that the keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever his living allowance” after Andrew reportedly refused to move out of the Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park, into the nearby smaller Frogmore Cottage.
The duke was said to have signed a 75-lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003.
Alex Croft4 November 2024 05:00
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King Charles and William’s royal estates ‘earn millions from NHS, armed forces and state school rents’
The King and the Prince of Wales’s private estates earn millions of pounds from rental deals with the armed forces, the NHS and state schools, it has been reported.
An investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times examined the land and properties the two leading royals own through the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The investigation reported that last year the Duchy of Lancaster agreed a deal to store a new fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses at a cost of £11.4m over 15 years.
Alex Croft4 November 2024 02:59
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Princess Kate forms ‘very close’ bond with King after shared health battles
Princess Kate has developed a notably close relationship with King Charles in recent months.
Known for her connections with various royals, Kate’s bond with the King appears to have deepened after both faced significant health challenges this year.
The Princess of Wales and the King underwent surgeries at the same hospital, both receiving cancer diagnoses shortly after their procedures.
This shared experience has seemingly strengthened their relationship, lending credence to Prince Harry’s assertion that illness can bring families closer together.
A source close to the Palace revealed that King Charles made a poignant gesture during Kate’s health scare in January, visiting her in her hospital room while he was also a patient at the London Clinic for his own prostate surgery.
According to Palace sources, the King views Kate with deep affection, considering her as a daughter.
“They are very close, and he thinks of Catherine as his daughter,” the source said.
The Princess of Wales recently announced she had completed her course of chemotherapy (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
Alex Croft4 November 2024 00:57
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Princess Kate to miss Prince William’s Earthshot Prize Awards
As Prince William prepares to travel to Cape Town next week for the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards, Princess Kate will remain in Windsor with their three children.
After being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and completing chemotherapy just two months ago, the 42-year-old Princess has chosen to prioritise her health and family during this time.
This marks the second consecutive year she has opted out of the event.
Prince William founded the Earthshot Prize is environmental awards back in 2020 to champion for green solutions for the world’s climate problems.
Last year, Kate missed the ceremony in Singapore while Prince George was taking his exams.
At the time, a senior Palace source said: “The Princess will not be attending. Prince George has exams that week and the Princess wants to be at home to support him.”
Alex Croft3 November 2024 22:51
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Unseen pictures from William, Harry and Princess Diana’s trip to homeless shelter
William and Diana, Princess of Wales during a visit to The Passage in London in 1993 (The Passage/PA) (PA Media)It inspired William’s recent documentary on homelessness (The Passage/PA) (PA Media)The photos were revealed in the documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness (The Passage/PA) (PA Media)
Alex Croft3 November 2024 20:48
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New ITV documentary will go behind the scenes with Queen Camilla
A new ITV documentary will be released going behind the scenes of Queen Camilla’s work to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence.
In September, the Queen personally backed The Independent’s campaign to build a safe refuge for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.
Camilla has been a long supporter of women escaping abusive partners, and a vocal critic of violence within the home.
An adviser to the monarch said she would “take a keen interest as the plans evolve” and described such safe spaces as “vital in providing a lifeline to those at their lowest ebb”.
The new documentary will now share other elements of her work regarding domestic abuse.
The broadcaster wrote on X: “Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors is a new documentary following The Queen as she works to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence. Coming soon to ITV1 and ITVX.”
Alex Croft3 November 2024 18:50
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Ditching monarchy would represent ‘a loss of identity’ to many Brits, argues new study
Academics from The Open University focused on individuals who participated in mourning events in Edinburgh and London following the monarch’s passing on 8 September, 2022.
Alex Croft3 November 2024 16:52
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King ‘heartbroken’ about the ‘destruction and devastation’ following Spain floods
King Charles has offered his “sincere and heartfelt condolences” to the people of Spain following the devastating floods which have so far killed more than 200 people.
Addressed to King Felipe VI of Spain, the King wrote: “My wife and I were utterly heartbroken to learn of the destruction and devastation following the catastrophic flooding in Southern and Eastern Spain.
“So many in the United Kingdom have strong, personal ties to Spain, and our nations are bound by so much that we have in common.
“We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and to the people of Spain for the tragic loss of so many lives. Our special thoughts, prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with all those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods this terrible week.”
Alex Croft3 November 2024 14:55
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King open to removing word ‘empire’ from OBE honours amid colonial controversy
However in both cases the colonial-era titles could be retained for those who wanted them.
Rebecca Thomas3 November 2024 12:58
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Eric Trump launches unprompted attack on ‘black sheep’ Prince Harry and his ‘unpopular’ wife Meghan
The former President’s son recently discussed how much his father and current presidential candidate Donald Trump “loved” the late Queen Elizabeth II and how much damage Harry caused to the royal family after he and Meghan decided to leave their positions in 2020.
Eric also told the outlet that Harry would not need to worry about being deported if his father is elected on November 5 even if his visa application has been questioned.
Alex Croft3 November 2024 11:00
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/harry-william-charles-kate-meghan-royal-family-news-b2640777.html