Last year was a big transition year for the royal family when Queen Elizabeth II passed away and King Charles III rose to the throne. It put Prince William in charge of the Duchy of Cornwall as the new Prince of Wales, and the public just learned about the whopping amount he received in salary — try $7.5 million.
As the head of the Duchy of Cornwall, William will be “entitled to its surplus profits every year,” according to the Independent, so his wealth could increase tremendously over the next decade. However, not everyone is thrilled with this idea, especially since Kensington Palace revealed that they would not be releasing a full financial report this year because it was “a transitional one.”
“William has some explaining to do because a change of monarch and heir is no excuse to row back on what little transparency there is,” Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, shared in a press statement. “As the recipient of public funds from the state-owned Duchy he should be reporting his income and expenditure. As Duchy profits appear to be growing to a record $30 million, it’s time we demanded the return of the Duchies (of Cornwall and Lancaster) to the people and for revenue to be spent on local communities.”
The Prince of Wales is using some of the excess land from the Duchy of Cornwall to find housing solutions as a part of his Homewards program in the U.K. But that lack of transparency for the Duchy of Cornwall, even in a year where he wasn’t fully in charge, has the anti-monarchists breathing down his back. If there’s anything Smith and his Republic group have proven is that they won’t back down with their abolish-the-monarchy sentiment, so William better get ready for the criticism that is likely coming his way.
Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.
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