Prince William is set to mark a major milestone in his role as the holder of the Duchy of Cornwall tomorrow as he visits a part of the estate for the first time as Duke.
Tomorrow, William is due to make his first official visit to the Isles of Scilly since becoming the Duke of Cornwall in September 2022. The Prince of Wales has plans to visit St Mary’s Harbour, which is run by the Duchy, and handles passengers and vessels.
He will spend time with the workers at the harbour, who are employed by his estate, before he goes on to pay a visit to St Mary’s Community Hospital. This little hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services for the roughly 2000 people who live in the Isles of Scilly.
The Duchy is working with the local council to build a new health and social care centre on land it owns adjacent to the hospital. The Prince will talk with hospital staff and intends to hear about the challenges of providing healthcare for the island community.
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in England and was established in a royal charter in 1337 by King Edward III. It is traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch - when Charles held the duchy he famously built a large personal fortune from developing the estate.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate worth £1billion, made up of property and investments including 130,000 acres, 260 farms, the London’s Oval cricket ground, and the land on which Dartmoor Prison stands.
Between 2012 and 2022 Charles received £212.7million from the duchy, which also rents out commercial property, and sells produce through the Duchy Originals brand. According to the Times Rich List, Charles’ frugal living and savvy investments growing the Duchy has enabled him to save up a fortune of £600million, almost twice that of the late Queen, calculated at £370million in the 2022 list.
There are two such duchies; the Duchy of Cornwall, traditionally administered by the heir to the throne, now under William’s control, and the £652.8million Duchy of Lancaster, which is overseen by the reigning monarch.