Prince William and King Charles under fire over $179m profit off 'miserable' tenants

A new report has found Prince William is making millions off miserable tenants living in homes owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate that pays him, and previously King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales. The Mirror and Channel 4 discovered that one in seven of William's Duchy of Cornwall's residential rental properties have the lowest Energy Performance Certificate ratings of F or G.

It became illegal for landlords to rent properties rated below an E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations in 2020. The publication spoke to several tenants, who revealed they are living in cold, poorly insulated homes, many without central heating and relying on expensive fuels for heat.

Since the new rules came into play, Prince William and King Charles have made $179 million in profits from the Duchy.

Prince William slammed by tenants living in 'miserably cold' homes

One tenant revealed he has to fork out hundreds a month on coal and wood to heat just two rooms of his home because there is no central heating.

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"It gets miserably cold, especially in the winter, you can see through the roof," he told the publication. "I can only heat two rooms in my home using a wood burner and a coal fire, and the landlord told me that my rent was going to be put up considerably if they put in radiators."

He added, "There is mould appearing on soft furnishings and clothes because the air is so cold and damp. To make my property efficient it needs to be insulated but they won't do that because of the cost. But you don't want to say anything against your landlord for fear of eviction. There could be consequences."

Prince William's 'slick' campaign 'sticks in the throat'

The report comes as taxpayers fund a $726 million renovation of Buckingham Palace, and Prince William launches a campaign for homelessness and for "everyone having a right to a safe and stable home".

"The slick PR will stick in the throat of many tenants. He should start by bringing the homes he already owns up to modern standards," one tenant hit back.

'They are not good landlords'

The Duchy owns more than 600 rental properties, of which The Mirror was able to identify almost 500. They discovered 50 properties rated F and 20 rated G, with six properties scoring just one point out of 100 on the EPC system.

One tenant said that their home is "uninhabitable" with "no heating upstairs at all", while another added, "I asked about double glazing and they said Prince Charles doesn’t like it. Well, he doesn’t have to live here."

"The house is cold and it is a struggle but there is nowhere else to live here. They are not good landlords."

Another, who was evicted, only discovered her home's poor EPC rating once she was asked to leave, "When I got my eviction letter, I phoned Citizens Advice. They checked it out on the internet and said 'It's an F, you shouldn't be living there. You shouldn't be paying to live there and it's illegal to let that property out'. I think the Duchy are saying that I've lived here too long. You can live in conditions that are dreadful because I have lived here too long.

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"They don't seem to have any consideration for the people that have lived in their houses for a length of time. They try to save money on people's lives to gain money for themselves."

Duchy of Cornwall promises 'significant investment' into homes

The Duchy of Cornwall told the publication that it was a "responsible and compassionate landlord", adding that an "expansive transformation" that will include "significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032" and "targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall".

The Duchy of Cornwall website says, "Dukes of Cornwall have traditionally managed their own estates … Over the last few years, HRH Prince William, the current Prince of Wales, has worked with his father managing the estate and has now taken over full responsibility for the estate leadership."

Jonathan Bean, a spokesperson for Fuel Poverty Action, said, "It's a disgrace that a billion pound royal estate appears to be acting like a rogue landlord. And getting away with it. King Charles and Prince William have profited from renting out property that fails to meet even basic standards."

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