Duchy of Lancaster’s illegal waste dump..

[CurlewKate]

https://www.channel4.com/news/uks-worst-illegal-waste-dump-is-on-site-belonging-to-private-estate-of-king-but not our fault, Guv.

@bluegreygreen

No you are not being clear at all. Funny that - royalists all have a similar partial approach to ‘explaining’ away Windsor abuses . Just resting in their account was it ??

The state takes the assets of the intestate. EXCEPT for Duchy land where William and Charles pocket it . It should all go to the state. The sheer greed of the Windsors is shocking.

As for refusing an inheritance, of course we can all do that . That is well known . But the Duchy did not refuse . They took it as they take everything they can get their hands on .

Once they realised the would be on the hook for clean up costs , they contacted the council to try to off load it .
The Windsors should be donating all their rip off millions . We see them - even if you prefer to turn a blind eye .

Yes of course, we know that! If someone dies intestate and no one comes forward, and no relatives can be found their estate goes to the Crown. This has always been the case.

The big difference between bona vacantia within Duchy land and not, is that the estate goes to the Duchy, not the Treasury, for them to do with as they will. Lancaster duchy BV funds were used for the Savoy Chapel in the Strand, London, not any initiatives in the areas DoL cover. You would think they could find something localised wouldn't you....

You put it better than me, I should've read your post first!

I have no idea why we are talking about people who die without wills and traceable relatives, it's irrelevant to what we are talking about.
We know the residue of the estate for those people always goes to the Crown. But not if you live within the DoL. That is the point being made repeatedly

And to put it into context, (we are not talking small amounts)

The Duchy of Lancaster has collected approximately £61.8 million in bona vacantia (ownerless property) funds over the last decade, averaging over £6 million per year, according to reports in late 2023. These funds come from the estates of people in the North West who die without a will or known kin.

You are mis-reading my post - WC stands for Wigan Council not Charles Windsor!

@Ukisgaslit You state

" As for refusing an inheritance, of course we can all do that . That is well known . But the Duchy did not refuse . They took it as they take everything they can get their hands on."

But this is the whole point - they didn't take it, they have refused it. It only became bona vacantia after the fire in July 2025 when the company that owned (and presumably was involved in or allowed the illegal tipping) it went bust.

If you inherit a property, you are not responsible from the date of death, only from the date of distribuition, the executors are responsible for it in the interim period. It is the same on winding up, an adminstrator or liquidator is legally responsible until the point of distribution. It takes time for a property to be transfered either on company liquidation or on death of the owner, it is never immediate. I don't think a few months would be an excessive length of time for this to happen!

If the Duchy refuses it's inheritance, and Wigan Council don't do a deal with the Duchy to take it on, it will ultimately fall to the Crown Estate through the same bona vacantia rules.

This. 'They are under no obligation...' always does heavy lifting when it comes to discussions about how much money the Windsors suck out of the State without contributing 'They are under no obligation' to disclose their tax returns, 'they are under no obligation' to comply with environmental legislation' They 'are under no obligation' to maintain their own land. Because they are the Monarch and heir. Because they have negotiated contracts that are extremely favourable to them and detrimental to the country who has to pay them even more money through taxes.. Charles and William are both double billionnaires. They never have to pay a single bill, have numerous homes, acres of land, barely have to lift a finger to get it. Why do they need the millions hosed at them by the Duchies every year? How about their famed 'duty'? It seems the only thing that is really their 'lifes work' is keeping themselves and their children on the gravy train for as long as they can.

@RainbowBagels
100% all of that.
Back in October we had this laughable statement from Downing Street
MPs will not be given time in the House of Commons to discuss Prince Andrew’s conduct because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”. Is the UK a democracy or not. Why does a non-elected head of state and his entire family of hangers on and grifters get a free pass??

It is just so disgusting, they get millions a yr in income. Noone, literally noone needs that amount of money. This is for all rich people when I say this too.

We are his 'subjects' he reigns over this country why oh why wouldn't you just say I might not own it all but my country i live in, reign over and my 'subjects' deserve better and just cough it up and pay it to be done.

Hoarding wealth..to the tune of hundreds of millions and you just cant even en use some of it for good...they represent everything that is wrong with this world

They are under no obligation...' always does heavy lifting ...

So does "Charles didn't know", @RainbowBagels

When you consider those 500 plus staff mentioned the amount he "didn't know" is quite literally incredible ... the paedophilia of those he supports, staff flogging gifts, honours and citizenship, his own brother's appalling activities and god knows how many more

Equally incredible is that some are still prepared to take this on trust ...

@FalseSpring

Not to further the tiresome back and forth but I did not misread your post . You wrote :

‘I imagine it was offered to Wigan Council once it became clear …..’

In other words you don’t know but are happy to ‘imagine’ a scenario which you believe favourable to the Windsors ( btw it isn’t )

Also you are stating that the Duchy does not own the land as they have rejected it . Is this a fact ? It is not what the independent newspaper published on Tuesday :

A portion of the land dubbed the UK's “worst illegal waste dump” is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, the King’s extensive private portfolio of properties and estates.
The waste site in Bickershaw, Wigan, is part of the UK’s mounting crisis of illegal dumping.
But the Duchy has said that, due to an ancient feudal legal framework from more than 700 years ago, it is in effect exempt from cleaning up the site, according to an investigation by Channel 4 News.
The broadcaster suggested the Duchy is shifting responsibility for the clean-up by offering it to Wigan Council

Even accepting your imagined scenario - ie Charles decided not to pocket the land as it would cost him to clean it up - that is in many much WORSE than the scenario that he took then tried to offload it
So he is happy enough to pick the pocket of the intestate for however little they may have left but baulks at this particular example because it would cause him to dip into his hoarded billions to clean it up ?! Mr environment can’t be bothered to clean up ?

Both scenarios are dreadful . The Windsors make fools of their dwindling supporters . They are red in tooth and claw capitalism - Windsor INC

I wonder how many other intestate estates C3 and his whisperers have seen fit to wash their hands of.

What people may also not realise it that this area of Wigan has a new MP. He’s been parachuted into a safe seat and quickly been made a minister. He appears to be in a constant state of bewilderment as to why people in Wigan get such a raw deal. Things like no flood defences in areas which suffer every year from flooding. I really believe it’s only because this MP has the ear of the PM the press are interested in this story.

I think the Duchy rip off scandals have been a constant in the news for the last few years.
The Windsors trying to offload the cost of cleaning up their contaminated land while also posing as ‘environmentalists’ is just this week’s expose .

I shall look forward to Charles 'documentary'. It's called 'A King's Vision' out on Amazon next week and is all about environmental and green issues. It is his 'climate mission'

Will he be stood aloft on the dump in Wigan on Duchy land talking about environmental protection I wonder?

And in the latest episode of 'You Really Couldn't Make This Shit Up' we have multiple press outlets puffing away about C3's Amazon Prime ramblings on nature and the environment:

https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/entertainment/king-charles-documentary-finding-harmony-prime-video

I particularly like this quote from the above:

His Majesty believes looking at the world in this way and understanding that nature is at the core of human wellbeing and prosperity will highlight the urgent need to take practical action to protect and restore the climate and planet

Hopefully his own practical action will amount to more than finger wagging the rest of us this time.

Hah. Cross post 😁

I have a hazy theory that now that the monarchy industrial complex can no longer rely on religion as the justification for their position they have latched on to ‘nature’ as the replacement.

They are trying to launder their greed and excess by linking their PR to ‘nature’ documentaries and being photographed leaning against trees and plonked in a muddy field. They are ‘nature’s’ special spokesperson just as they were god’s spokesperson when they could get away with that .

Plus it helps to distract from the sale of mining licences , charging the nhs and the rest of the bloated capitalist exploitation of the country

You might be right there! Look at all the airy fairy walking through the woods and looking pensive videos the Monarchy are putting out.

Why do I keep thinking of Stig of the Dump for the massive smelly rat infested eyesore in Wigan. I hope to god it gets clear before the Summer and high temperatures, rats, maggots and god knows what. Those poor people, I really feel for them
"The Duchy say because of this special ancient law they don't have a legal responsibility and they're right - but they do have a moral responsibility,"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5gprmznz6o

@Ukisgaslit FYI

These quotes are taken from the Governments website and apply to the Crown Estate, but equally be apply to the Duchies. A decision is made once it becomes clear that the asset has no known owner:

"Asset disposal
If an asset becomes bona vacantia it belongs to the Crown. The Crown does not have to deal with it in any particular way. Normally an asset will either be disclaimed or sold for full market value."

"The power of disclaimer is important and exercised frequently in relation to bona vacantia land because it protects the Crown, and therefore the taxpayer, from liability."

This is not an unusual situation at all.

The decision to disclaim or transfer to Wigan Council will be made by the Duchy Council in collaboration with Wigan Council, and will not be decided by King Charles as you have suggested in your post. It is not his decision to make.

Also, the Duchy has offered to discuss terms of the land transfer with Wigan Council so it is not a case of the Duchy dumping it on Wigan. This is, as I have said before, just typical journalists making mountains out of molehills to sell their papers.

Finally, any proceeds from the sale of bona vacantia land that is received by the Duchy is used for the upkeep of the many historic properties that it already owns (whether in Lancaster or anywhere else), or for other charitable purposes. It does not end up in the pocket of King Charles.

@FalseSpring

Again you are cherry picking .

Where do profits from the Duchys go? Into the pocket of William and Charles .

We were told for years that the pick pocketing of the intestate by William and Charles went to charity .
An investigation last year found that it did not.
Or perhaps the charity is like Dumfries house. That was Charles’ pet project was it not ? Was that linked to the cash for honours scandal - I can’t keep up with the scandals - perhaps you would know?

No need @FalseSpring I’ve found a link . Dumfries house was indeed linked to the cash for honours scandal

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59511313.amp

Dumfries house ( is it true that it’s now rented out for events and where do the profits go?) is not linked to the Duchy .

The Duchys have their own scandals - hard to keep up with. Similar to your assertion, we were told for decades that the money taken from the intestate of the Duchys would be given to charity . Investigative journalists revealed it was not . The charity claims were described as ‘opaque’ .

It was revealed by investigative journalists that bona vacantia alone netted over 61 million in a decade .
61 million - just from the intestate.

We were told that that money went to charity . Well it kinda did.
15% of it did

The rest was ‘absorbed’ by the Duchy .
Hey - it looks like the Windsor PR suffers from the same sleight of hand / partial information as the royalist defenders on here ! How odd .

And by ‘charity’ what do they mean exactly ? A royal chapel ?

For Capitalism to work you actually do need checks, balances and competition. The way the RF works is the way it always has- on the basis of feudalism- they take because they are Kings. Thats it.