It’s been more than one month since Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and more than a month since Prince William became Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. Are you surprised that a massive embiggening campaign hasn’t commenced already? I was expecting wall-to-wall fluff pieces about how brilliant and keen Will and Kate already are with their Cornwall and Wales titles. The absence of embiggening is curious, and I suspect it’s because William and Kate were truly unprepared. It’s no secret that they’re both total lightweights – William couldn’t even be bothered to learn a few phrases in Welsh. Kate’s first act as Princess of Wales was to announce that she still wasn’t doing sh-t. Well, in any case, the media is dutifully trying to polish this turd. From People Magazine: “Prince William Is ‘Fully Immersing’ Himself in New Role That Comes with Prince of Wales Title.” It’s all about William pegging away at the Duchy of Cornwall.
Prince William is getting to know the nuts and bolts of his new role. William spent part of Monday in discussions with a senior figure in the Duchy of Cornwall, the vast and valuable estate that the new Prince of Wales inherited from his father, King Charles III. Prince William, 40, met Alastair Martin, the secretary of the estate at Kensington Palace, the court circular, a record of royal duties, says.
From Sept. 8, the day his grandmother Queen Elizabeth died, William has been titled the Duke of Cornwall and with that comes the Duchy — an estate of farmland, property and commercial businesses worth around $1.3 billion. Last year, it provided Charles with an income of around $25 million.
In recent years, Prince William has made quiet visits to the Duchy, and he’s also been speaking to his father about the more than 130,000 acres of land — with 160 miles of British coastline — in 23 counties of England and Wales.
“He is going to very much take an active role in it. He is fully immersing himself in it,” a royal source tells PEOPLE.
Narrator’s voice: He will not, in fact, very much take an active role in it.
Charles left the Duchy in good stead for the most part – over the years, Charles hired competent professionals to run the Duchy like a for-profit real estate portfolio, which is what it is. William is now the landlord of the most extensive real estate portfolio in the UK. He’s not going to be involved in the daily operations though – please, he’s not smart enough. When palace sources say he’ll “very much take an active role in it,” they mean he’ll spend the money and set up some of his mistresses in Duchy properties (ALLEGEDLY!)
Speaking of William’s toolbox, there’s video of Peg & Buttons’ talk on Newsbeat. Kate really looks bored when he talks about his toolbox, wow.
Tune in to @bbcnewsbeat for a special #WorldMentalHealthDay conversation.
Thank you to Pria, and Dr Abigail, António, Ben and Emma – the inspiring mental health advocates who spoke so openly about their experiences and why they are committed to supporting others. pic.twitter.com/MEGJG1dYM0
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 11, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, visit St Thomas Church, a re-developed church in Swansea which supports people in the local area and across the City and County of Swansea. Tuesday 27 September 2022.,Image: 726477686, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, the Prince of Wales and President of the FA, centre, visits England’s national football centre at St. George’s Park to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football, in Burton upon Trent, England, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.,Image: 728287524, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rui Viera / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, the Prince of Wales and President of the FA, centre right, stands with England soccer coach Gareth Southgate, centre left, as he visits England’s national football centre at St. George’s Park to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football, in Burton upon Trent, England, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.,Image: 728290132, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rui Viera / Avalon
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- Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit tributes left at Sandringham Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, Prince William, Prince of Wales Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 15 Sep 2022 Credit: Cover Images
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales meet volunteers and operational staff at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire, who were involved in facilitating the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday and supporting the crowds that gathered to commemorate her passing. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Berkshire, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales meet volunteers and operational staff at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire, who were involved in facilitating the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday and supporting the crowds that gathered to commemorate her passing. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Berkshire, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales meet volunteers and operational staff at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire, who were involved in facilitating the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday and supporting the crowds that gathered to commemorate her passing. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Berkshire, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Prince William, The Prince of Wales during a visit to St. George’s Park in Burton upon Trent to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football. Featuring: Prince William Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 05 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Prince William, The Prince of Wales during a visit to St. George’s Park in Burton upon Trent to mark its 10th anniversary as the home of English football. Featuring: Prince William Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 05 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland. Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom When: 06 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland. Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom When: 06 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Prince William And Catherine, Princess Of Wales Visit To Northern Ireland The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland Featuring: Prince William Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom When: 06 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
I wish he’d take an active role. Slowly burn Charles’s duchy legacy to the ground as he siphons cash out until the farmers revolt and demand the right to buy their own land (which Charles vetoed quietly) allll while the king must grin and bear it because this is the son he threw his weight behind and he deserves every inch of what comes.
25 million a year just like that and they will still nickel and dime the British Taxpayers. So glad to be an American !
well you guys have your own issues with those politicians in Florida (?) stealing money meant for disaster assistance and so on (or something similar)… so in the end, I’d say there’s enough corruption world wide to go around
Oh there is plenty of corruption to go around, but at least we get to vote them out. People don’t, but the general idea is there.
(that’s not getting into the corruption of private businesses etc. There is def enough to go around.)
@Becks1 – Fair enough.
Yeah, I mean, there’s plenty of corruption in the US governments, but at least we don’t have to pay for two at a time either.
@Danbury You know about that because they are being called on it and action is being taken. Can you say the same about the monarchy?
@Danbury: Please also remember in the USA taxpayers don’t finically take of a Family FOREVER (generation after generation). We don’t have a special class just for a certain American Family that live in castles, palaces and 50,000 acres estates that taxpayers give 300 million a year for expenses etc. We don’t bow and curtsy to ANYONE. We don’t call anyone Your, His, Her Royal Highness….we don’t do those things. Yes, we have our issues but one of them isn’t taken care of a “Royal Family”
I wonder how long it’ll take him to run it into the ground.
If the Pegginator really gave a shit about the homeless, he could do something to help with the crisis, since he’s inherited all this land and wealth. Let’s see, shall we?
I wonder how nervous Charles is about handing over the Duchy to this buffoon.
Oh, Peggy is just going to do to the Welsh and the Duchy what he loves to do the most: PEG THEM ROYALLY.
We *all* know he doesn’t give a flying f*ck about anything other than himself, and how much money he’ll have access to while doing the barest minimum.
He’s going to run in completely to the ground lol.
Interesting that PEOPLE is referring to the Duchy as a “commercial business”. I thought that that wasn’t allowed for working royals?
“Commercial business” is allowed if you are reaping all the benefits of your “subject’s” work and not actually working yourself. If PW has any sense at all he will leave the people in place who have been running operations.
@equality: if his picks of palace staff is anything to go by he has no sense and he will put people in place that will be to his benefit.
The people may not be to his benefit if they are as inept as KP staff.
If UK was as big as Russia i would say Ok,but its tiny ,to own so much is sickening.
Especially since it’s likely land taken from “subjects” by past monarchs.
I read William taking an “active role” as inquiring how soon can he access all that 💰💰
That is what I took out of this as well. He will take an active role in getting the money from it and do nothing else.
That’s what I was thinking too.
That’s the only reason he cares about the Duchy. That’s where the money comes from. PoW is just a title.
That’s exactly what I was thinking too, and how much of the yearly income, he can squirrel away safely in off-shore accounts in case the monarchy goes belly-up before he becomes King.
“Active role” = cashing the checks (or “cheques”?).
Also I don’t know why anyone would “expect him to be the first Prince of Wales without a mistress,” as Charles so famously (allegedly) put it.
“He is going to very much take an active role in it. He is fully immersing himself in it,” a royal source tells PEOPLE.
I immediately envisioned William Scrooge McDuck diving into a mountain of gold coins and cash.
He couldn’t be bothered to complete a short course on estate management which had been specially designed just for him by Cambridge University.
But now he’s interested? Yes, in the cash, now he finally has his mitts on it.
I was trying to remember there was a time when William was doing something like a Masters right? Then never heard of it again.
Conveniently right after George was born. He spent months… somewhere and Kate and George were at her mum’s. He didn’t graduate. I don’t think they even made excuses about it. I know Lainey covered it, probably here too.
When are William and Kate going to make a visit to Cornwall?
I know, right? I remember someone complained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t visit Sussex and should have their title removed. And yet these two didn’t visit Cornwall.
Meghan and Harry did visit Sussex in the fall of 2018, so I don’t know what they are complaining about.
I live in Canada but I know my relatives have lived in Cornwall for almost 50 years now, and are sometimes still considered outsiders by their neighbours. I see Cornish nationalist signs when I go there. The people of Cornwall could more than use that duchy money invested back into their people and area, one of the poorest in Britain. I will sit here and watch and wait.
Edit: just saw Sparrow’s more comprehensive comment below.
You need notes to talk about a toolbox? Seriously?
Since somebody else likely thought that up as something safe for him to say, he likely needs notes. He likely has to go through multiple approvals of statements since the “Africans should have fewer children” and other statements he got blowback on.
equality, why in the world does Fails think that men “especially” need a toolbox? I guess he thinks that women’s mental health isn’t affected by the men around them, huh! Especially the men like him.
Perhaps he thinks that women don’t identify with “toolbox”. He may think they need a “sewing kit”.
His comments were so off putting and I don’t think I heard more than six or seven seconds. What a backwards person to think that’s an acceptable comment to make in 2022.
$30 million from the Duchy, so yeah…he’s about that life.
Did he not drop out of a bespoke educational program on business and agriculture that Prince Charles set up for him, to prepare him for this role? Anyone have any info on this?
I just remember it was right after George was born. Willy spent months away, Kate and George were with Carole. I know Lainey covered it at the time, I’m sure it was covered here too.
That’s right. It was a specially prepared course on sustainable agriculture management and there was quite a backlash from other students when William started it. They rightly felt he was getting preferential treatment as he didn’t have high enough grades to actually get accepted into the course. Conveniently, he’s the registered benefactor of the department he studied at. All that to say, he bounced half-way through when George was born so he could be a *hands-on* dad. I say BS.
“ “He is going to very much take an active role in it. He is fully immersing himself in it,” a royal source tells PEOPLE.”
Yes. He will actively burn through all of it’s profits then yell at people demanding why isn’t there more money. Then he will demand his minions to find more ways to bilk money from it. Which will likely include sticking it to his peasants as they freeze and starve to death this winter.
“Very much” is the tell.
We are VERY MUCH NOT a racist family.” Sure, Peg.
They will VERY MUCH TAKE an active role” = they aren’t doing a thing other than cashing checks.
Bingo! They use intensifiers instead of logic or specifics. Very much keen, massive keenery.
Oh, I bet he will. His father has been milking cash out of the duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster for years and years. What the RF does in this regard is skewed financially and benefits from huge tax breaks which they try to hide from parliamentary scrutiny. They have been siphoning off money that should go into UK government funds for decades. When British royalists peddle the same old rubbish that the RF costs us as little as £1 a year they are blind to the fact that they cost us a lot more in lost funds, funds that could go into the NHS and schooling. It is a national disgrace and it flies under the radar, largely because of sycophantic MPs who love to play the traditionalist or royalist card and the gullibility of some of the British public who believe the RF has their best interests at heart. Ironically, those are the very people who suffer most because of this blocked up stream of public finance.
What I don’t understand about those duchies is – if the monarchy collapses, what happens to them? Like I understand that the royalists skew the numbers and act like those duchies don’t exist etc and that most of the Crown Estate money (which I know is different from Lancaster money) goes to the government or so on.
But what happens if the monarchy collapses? Would the monarch then “just” be the duke of lancaster? Would those duchies…..what, revert to the government, who would then be landowners? I don’t understand how it would work.
Love it sparrow, tell it like it is. @Becks, we have an unwritten constitution so if we did get rid of the monarchy, what would happen to the duchies would be a matter of negotiation. We would have to pay the royals off so they’d probably get to keep the land, but they’d no longer have all the special deals and tax breaks (at least I hope not). I expect they’d get to keep the titles such as Duke of Cornwall/Duke of Lancaster but they’d become non-royal, much like the next Dukes of Kent and Gloucester will be because they’re great-grandsons of the monarch. (Unless we got rid of all the aristocratic titles as well, but I can’t see that happening).
Thanks, that is interesting. So the royals would get to keep those duchies in some form or another, but would lose all their tax benefits and anything else (and lose the ability to inherit money tax free, monarch to monarch.)
What I never get with these people is why so greedy? They can’t do anything with their vast wealth because they don’t have the freedom. They are already rich enough and housed very, very comfortably; arguing for less taxation etc seems pointless because it’s not like they have the freedom to buy a super yacht or spend months and months on holiday in some amazing place abroad. They have no privacy and theirs is a public life. It is greed for greed’s sake and it leaves a bitter taste.
I think it’s yet another reason why the monarchy should be abolished. They interact with and become friends with the truly wealthy at Eton and Marlborough, who do have privacy and the freedom to buy super yachts and spend months travelling the Mediterranean. Then they are resentful that they can’t do the same, because their duty is sooo onerous. We should just pay them off and abolish the monarchy (I wish we could get away with not doing the former but I think wholesale revolution is very unlikely).
I only read the headline and thought “Well, yeah, that’s where the money is. Of course he will be right there.”
Ugh, this entire family is vile.
Good for H&M for getting far away. Smart move, as we continue to see how awful they really are.
I’m enjoying imagining how KKKHate is renegotiating her separation package now that they are awash in cash. The passivity of “very much” in everything that the Wailses think, feel, believe, “do” DRIVES ME NUTS.
Getting to know the nuts and bolts of it? He is just as unprepared for this. He’s been unemployed for 40yrs. He should have learned the in and out years ago. At least a decade. He was always going to inherit this. He is so low bar.
Khate is wearing way too much highlighter in that video.
Burger King met with someone from the Duchy–most likely a hand-off of the account numbers, checkbook and wire transfer instructions–and listed that as work in the Court Circular. People magazine then calls it fully immersing himself in the Duchy. Wow. This is how they will try to make a dud sound like a workhorse.
That he hasn’t been working there for years already is an incredible indictment of this whole system. He should’ve been running the Prince’s Trust already. Someone is going to write the story about how everyone failed and getting William ready to be king. Of course, it may well be at the fault is all his and they are just too terrified for anyone to find out.
Okay, so we know Will just cares about the Duchy money. But aren’t there checks and balances on the money? I thought there was like a board which audited everything? Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I could swear someone knowledgeable about this stuff (Notasugarhere?) posted that it wouldn’t just be free reign of the Duchy piggyback for Willyboy.
Someone here a while back said there’s a short documentary The Man Who Shouldn’t be King (YT). So I watched it and it highlighted how awfully rotten the duchy of Cornwall was run. Some people spoke off camera with a voice changer for fear of retaliation. I suspect Pegs will be a bit different with less competency.
I saw a longer clip of them on newsbeat and not only did Waity look bored but she also cut willileaks off when he went to start talking. They struggled to talk over one another briefly. Willileaks tried to hold his contemptious face together after she did it and turned over glaring at her. And I’m not sure if it was just showing short clips here and there but I’m pretty sure she literally just changed the subject on the woman speaking about communication and caregivers with children and nearly cut her off as well. She got all excited and through her hands up and completely disregarded what the woman was speaking about that actually sounded educated and then here comes Keen. It’s as if she had memorized questions in her head and had to jump in and ask before she forgot totally going completely off topic than what the woman was even speaking about. At the very end, William looked annoyed and said something similar to insinuating that this was probably one of the worst discussions that they had on newsbeat to which the orator tried to pacify him and said they did a good job lol. Is as if William knew they sounded like utter fools especially with Keen opening her mouth (not that he sounded intelligent lol but of course he will find no fault in himself). I gaurantee Waity heard a mouthful of bitterness from willileaks when they left. They literally cannot stand one another and IMO Kate was much bolder in this event. Typically she is cowering down from his vehement looks he gives her however this time she forcefully talked over him and when he finally spoke she looked not only bored but annoyed. I obviously think these two cannot stand one another. And I feel the bolder Kate becomes with him the more contempt he will continue to build upon on her.
And on a sidenote: I wonder how long it will take for Burgerking to flop the duchy. As others have mentioned here… he wasn’t interested in learning to manage it in the past. He’s only interested now because he’s got his grubby fingers on the cash.
Agree. Her looks (like Kaiser said) and everything you said about their interaction is spot on.
We should have a lottery where we all pick dates on when the separation becomes news. I don’t think they can fake it even for 12 months. We seem to be edging closer all the time.
In answer to a question posed by Kate one of the young panellist said, “ Well it can’t always be roses and sunflowers”….William turned red…lol!
He will take phone calls, the balance sheet and income statement will be explained to him. He will spend, spend, spend…
The duchy is run by and overseen qualified people, so William is not needed to run the day to day. He just probably won’t be able to make any meaningful contribution or offer any vision regarding the duchy. This is probably unfair, but he will probably be interested most in the bottom line. I imagine Charles educated himself about the duchy, and was involved in innovations and planning, but who did the duchy report to before Charles was old enough to take charge? Philip comes to mind. It seems Philip was very competent running the Queen’s and the royal estates. He turned over the running of Sandringham to Charles when he “retired.” Being park ranger of Windsor and managing Sandringham would be jobs a king might turn over to a second son, if he only had one on the premises to rely on.
He could give Andrew the job to make him useful and justify paying him. Mike Tindall is up for anything, including apparently going on a show to eat bugs. Peter Philips is easily available.
The irony of W saying “the work we’ve done on mental health” when the most work they’ve ever done in their entire lives was almost ruin the mental health of a woman who was just trying to be herself and fit in to their ridiculous standards because they were too petty and jealous of the love and adoration she was receiving to the point of her feeling everyone would be better off if she wasn’t there. Disgusting
I don’t get what happens to the $25 million each year? Do they just pocket it? I also thought they ran a deficit and had to be helped out each year by the government.
How does this money thing work with them?
Finally, a stripped down monarchy is meaningless if it’s just fewer people using the same massive number of properties.
Exactly my question!
He doesn’t have to pay for food, housing, utilities, staff, security, clothing, autos, helicopters, so what exactly does he (or did Charles) do with the $25M/year? Thats $250M per 10 years.
Oh yes, emptying all the Duchy funds in his own pockets. That’s my take and I stand by it. Thieving in addition to your government lavishing you with money and houses and who knows what all. But that’s not enough, is it?
$25M income on assets of $1.3B is less than 2%—not an impressive rate of return.
How much money is enough?
Geez. No one should have that much wealth.
The BRF and their entire system are as corrupt as our US politicians.
And that is a dang big amount, rotten to the core!
I would bet Chucky took the bulk of the duchy money with him, no way would he leave all that cash with his lazy ass inept son and his do nothing wife.
Well, this could be good or bad. William has no business sense and the Cornwall tenants aren’t happy already. What could go wrong?
Will is doing the jazz hands in the first pic. As much as he hates Kate, he has to copy her since he has no originality and is a CopyKeen in his own right. This is the end of the Era of Disdain and the beginning of the Era of I’ve Got the Money Now So I’ll Pretend to Work (but will never learn Welsh because why bother?)
Will seems arrogant enough to try to make sweeping changes as he burns through money. One would hope he’d keep the right people in place…