Does anyone know where Prince William is?

[TallerSally]

Errrrr….. where’s Willy? The press focus in the past 24 hours has been perplexing. King Charles’ diagnostic has been the top item, of course. But, bizarrely, the 2nd item has almost invariably been… Prince Harry this and that and the other. Prince HARRY??? What’s with the obsession with him? This should be about Prince WILLIAM! Yet from/about him, absolute silence. What on Earth is going on?

And please don’t start with the “he has to be at his wife’s bedside”. If Harry The Not Next In Line To The Throne And Not Counsellor of State And Can’t Stand In For The King etc etc can fly all the way from Montecito, then William The next King and He Who Should Stand In For King Charles can go visit his Dad in hospital (did he?), rush to be by his dad’s bedside (did he?), make announcements about which official duties he will take up, etc etc.

I know Prince Harry is the one the media are addicted to writing about and slagging off to drive clicks, but can they (and so many on these boards) perhaps take a break from their unhealthy obsession with H (&M) and keep the spotlight where most would expect it to be, on King Charles and, in particular, his successor Prince William?

[Title should read does anyone know...]

Maybe he wants to spend time with his children?

Just a thought.

Not sure why the criticism for wanting to spend time with your children in the school holidays.🤨

I don't think anyone disputes that W&K being more hands on with their kids is a good thing but I think it's more that it's two parents not working for 13 plus weeks of the year, every year (school hols, half terms etc). One home with the kids, in their position maybe, and both for family holidays away but both parents off for this length of time is a luxury most parents couldn't imagine in a million years

Yes @Roussette , it’s amazing the number of posters who seem to overlook that Prince William is funded by those of us who pay TAXES and by ALL of us through the £2’400’000’000 inheritance tax exemption he is due to benefit from, money which could have gone towards much-needed public services. Yes, that’s £2.4bn!!

So NO, he doesn’t get to take off six months a year “to spend more time with his kids”, leaving charities and causes without an active patron, and leaving it up to other elderly royals to step up in his place.

What exactly are we funding these royals to do, other than generate frothing at tabloids and on MN?

The frothing on MN is worth the money to be fair

@TallerSally How is Harry funded? Where did all his wealth come from? Are you 100% positive all the tax and IHT has been paid on it? It may be too soon but will Harry chose to become a non-dom for tax purposes? Remember H complained about being cut off even though it later came to light KC paid £5m. Are you 100% positive no untaxed funding is being filtered to H?

Harry very rarely does public engagements e.g. film premier, NFL awards etc. and, using the same bench mark, works far less than William. Is it just possible that H & W both do work behind closed doors that we don’t see?

As a pp said H & W have chosen different paths. There are posters who support one side or the other who take a relatively balanced view when posting with a slant for one side or the other.

Sadly some posters have villainised one side or the other.

What do you think he should be doing today and where and why?

Harry has his inheritance from Diana and I believe also from the Queen Mother. It was estimated at about £20 million combined but presumably has been invested and grown. He is due a final installment from the Queen Mother's trust when he turns 40 (this year). Charles was also paying him an allowance of several million a year to support living costs and royal duties but stopped about 6 months after they stepped down.

Obviously they also have whatever income they make from Netflix, spotify, book deals. speaking engagements, personal appearances and press photos etc.

They must have a very comfortable lifestyle but perhaps not the billionaire lifestyle to which they aspire.

William runs a billion pound property empire (his other job) that gives him an income of £23 million a year and includes everything from stately homes, to farming land to office buildings in London to a Waitrose distribution centre in Milton Keynes. William does not live on taxpayer money and can afford to take time off to spend with his kids and seriously unwell wife if he wants to.

Charles was also paying him an allowance of several million a year to support living costs and royal duties but stopped about 6 months after they stepped down

It's true Harry said he'd been cut off - though he couldn't get the story straight even on that - but I'm not aware the RF have ever mentioned whether he's still getting an allowance or not?

And even if it's not in the accounts that doesn't preclude Charles giving him "private" money (and probably finding a way to charge it to the rest of us)

Charles was also paying him an allowance of several million a year to support living costs and royal duties but stopped about 6 months after they stepped down.

Appalling for him. Imagine - only the £27 million pounds from your mum to live on. I see what he means by being badly-done-to now.

At one point SussexSquad were fundraising to pay H&M’s mortgage… a most worthy and excellent charitable endeavour

How do you know Kate is seriously unwell?

And you know all that how? Are you his personal accountant?

I always have a great big laugh when people who evidently have zero insider information about the RF's finances, given that the RF hire professionals and invest heavily in CONCEALING said finances from the public through obfuscation and acts of Parliament to the extent that it takes investigative journalists (eg at the Guardian) years to try to build a picture, try to sound authoritative on MN based on some flimsy research they've done online.

Nice try - wholly unconvincing - give up!

https://duchyofcornwall.org/news/the-duchy-of-cornwall-publishes-integrated-annual-report-2023//

Duchy of Cornwall accounts here if anyone wants a read.

I always have a great big laugh when people who evidently have zero insider information about the RF's finances

So do enlighten us, given that you're clearly more informed than us outsiders.

Perhaps start with the link to details of the inheritance tax he has paid so far, and will pay when he inherits from KC?

Taxpayer funding, even as an opportunity cost.

Taxpayer funding, even as an opportunity cost.

John Major’s statement to parliament in 1993 about the agreement reached with QEII and HMRC:

In the unique circumstances of an hereditary monarchy, special arrangements are needed for inheritance tax. There could, for example, be no question of taxing assets such as the royal palaces which the Queen owns as sovereign and not in a private capacity. The agreement reached with Her Majesty therefore provides that inheritance tax should apply to all bequests or gifts by the sovereign other than to transfers of assets from one sovereign to his or her successor.

If parliament and HMRC agree that is can be no question of assets held by the monarch as sovereign being liable for inheritance tax, then clearly no, it’s not lost contribution to HMRC.

That is precisely my point.

The fact that it is lawful doesn’t remotely negate that it is undemocratic and unacceptable that the royals (and other aristocracy, including the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, who just inherited £10 billion without paying IHT) should be exempt from IHT when everyone else is liable.

The amounts lost to the treasury by this undemocratic arrangement run in the billions, and the point is that this IHT exemption feels completely inexcusable in today’s society.

I can also come up with plenty of arguments for why my family should be exempted from IHT. And yet…

The fact that it is lawful doesn’t remotely negate that it is undemocratic and unacceptable

I don’t think you understand what lawful actually means.

The laws exist. They have been applied to this, and other situations. You personally may not be happy with the outcome, but that’s irrelevant. If you were able to change to laws to conform with your personal preferences, that would truly be undemocratic.

Thanks for the lesson!

When last was this matter subject to a popular vote?

Tax laws specifically? Probably 1642…😂

If you were able to change to laws to conform with your personal preferences, that would truly be undemocratic
Indeed
What a shame QEII did exactly that

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/14/queen-immunity-british-laws-private-property

I think the sorts of financial arrangements made by the ultra rich to avoid IHT are available to everyone? It's putting assets in trusts rather than owning them as individuals, and similar.

Running/maintaining those trusts costs money, so unless the tax savings significantly outweigh the costs there is no point in doing it, which is why most of us don't do it.

But it isn't that the wealthy are exempt from IHT as such, just that they don't hold their assets as individuals.

Just as - from what I have read, I am sure other people know far more about it - people can set up their own company and pay themselves dividends rather than a salary, and therefore not pay income tax.

You are mistaking my point. It’s perfectly normal and completely understandable for govern,meant policy and proposed legislation to seek views from interested stakeholders and indeed members of the public before anything becomes enshrined in law. It’s a useful check and balance as the people int he relevant ministries simply cannot be expected to know all the possible consequences or impacts of their proposals.

The fact that the Head of State is one of the parties consulted is not undemocratic at all. Their views will be considered along with all other submissions.

Have a look at the list of current consultations below.

https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations

Serenster.... not mistaking your point at all. It is undemocratic for the then Queen to be able to exempt the family from laws that don't suit. That's a personal preference.

wilderness
But it isn't that the wealthy are exempt from IHT
I know a little about this having an IFA in the family.
One wealthy member is exempt from IHT. The Monarch.