Support for Monarchy dwindling

[TheHaplessWit]

Support for Monarchy now down to 45%

Following on from the previous yougov polls, it seems the constant negativity about Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, William dodging tax / evicting people, Charles ignoring his brothers actions etc... has pushed royal support down to 45%.

How long until a future election process includes a party saying they'll have a referrendum on the Monarchy as part of their manifesto? probably not next time (3 years), but maybe the one after that?

He has more than just the Duchy.

Yes and it doesn’t come close to £1B.

It's the sudden granting of £369 million - many times the original budget requested - which makes it so infuriating that they're still bleating for more, Cathy

If more renovations are needed I'd have thought that massively increased sum would cover a fair slice, but my own prediction is that the SG "uplift" will never be removed and that they'll produce something else it's "absolutely necessary" for, hoping most won't know the background to this

It's not the private property of the Windsors.

Which does make you wonder how W is apparently able to simply flog off some 20% of the holdings on what appears to be a whim.

I agree.

Absolutely absurd for a building none of them want to actually live in...

I don’t think they can please everyone here, anyway. Someone was recently commenting on the new energy standards and how some buildings under their care are not up to snuff.

To be fair nom , I do think it’s important that we have people critically viewing the financial outgoings and expectations, we should never just believe everything we are told without checking first, I expect transparency from the royal family just as I do from the government.

It's been illegal to rent out substandard properties without an exemption since 2020 so not a particularly new requirement.

A shockingly large percentage of W's let properties were found to be non-compliant in 2024.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/scandal-prince-williams-mouldy-hard-34022520

We know he's been on Whatsapp 24/7 micro-managing the Duchy since he took it over in 2022 yet still didn't manage to prioritise this scandal while trumpeting the waiving of a stonking £10k in rent to grass roots organisations in a back-footed response to the exposure of the Duchy skims.

You're probably right they can't please everyone but the numbers they can are astonishing.

I wasn’t particular productive myself from 2020-2022, particularly not implementing new standards in properties that didn’t belong to me.

Do we have any current intel on the state of these properties or is the 2 year old article the latest?

I would not describe a ten year plan to invest in local communities “a whim”

“The Duchy of Cornwall recently confirmed it would be selling off 20% of its property over the next 10 years so £500m could be invested in local communities, including in affordable housing and environmental projects.”

@CathyorClaire Please don’t take anything I’m writing to heart, I just love the debate but do see your points clearly. xx

I wouldn't expect anyone to be particularly interested in properties that didn't turn them a dime but landlords don't fit that profile.

I think on the evidence of the trumpeting of rent waiving (even to the recent exclusion from vacant Dartmoor prison albeit after the previous collection of some £4.5m in rent) we can be reasonably sure that had these neglected properties been brought up to scratch we'd know,

Heh.

Me too 😁

I'd like to see the small print 😎

I’ll give him a pass on 2022 since he took over in mid September.

Hopefully something has been done with the most egregious issues in the past 4 years though. And a wider plan for the others.

I really think they are an anachronism now. Anyone younger than 40 doesn't give a shit or even know who they are. Those above that age are either very disillusioned or just enjoy reading Hello and looking at the pageantry. Their activities don't bear any scrutiny. Andrew and Harry are an absolute disgrace along with the dreadful Sarah Ferguson .

Most people realise that this country needs a head of state and are also disillusioned enough to not want President Farage nor Johnson.

No they could easily have had nonce king Andrew instead of the birth order had been different

It's been illegal to rent out substandard properties without an exemption since 2020 so not a particularly new requirement

I've not looked into this particular issue, @CathyorClaire, but as with so much else they may have an exemption - or if too much attention focuses on this, I expect one could easily be "found"

AFAICS W was bounced into 'committed to' upgrading the properties after the Dispatches revelations in 2024 but unsurprisingly no news on actual progress since. At least that I can find.

https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/prince-william-to-upgrade-estate-featuring-mouldy-rental-homes

Interestingly a new investigation has found that 90% of Duchy residential properties across both holdings are likely to fail even stricter forthcoming requirements leaving C3 and W some £10m out of pocket if bringing them up to standard.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/16/king-charles-and-prince-william-face-10m-energy-upgrade-bill-for-estates

That of course is assuming they don't find some way of wriggling out of complying which isn't a given as you say 🙄

I’m finding it interesting reading both of your posts Cathy and puzzled, please keep plugging away!

Thank you, Cathy; I hadn't realised (but should have done) that the noise made about William improving the properties came only after adverse publicity

As said before, I just hope for monarchists' sake that - when the time comes - he fulfils the many hopes (dealing with Harry, greater transparency, less insensate spending, etc, etc)

Apart from his membership of the institution I've nothing against the guy and admire how he and Catherine have avoided ugly public behaviour and kept their image so clean, but at the same time I'm very much aware that's precisely what it is ... an image.
And the Windsors can hardly afford for yet another one to go badly wrong ...

Updating and renovating the rental properties I think are slightly more of an issue than might be at first realised. Whilst I agree that certainly 'something needs to be done', many of the properties in the duchy of cornwall portfolio are older homes, and having lived for many years in 200 year old homes, i know it's not easy to fit modern insulation standards in old houses. Old houses are meant to 'breathe ', ie they need draughts to air the house and stop mould and condensation issues. Stopping up draughts and making older homes air tight leads to many problems. Also many homes may have solid/concrete floors which doesn't help either. Retrofitting insulation can lead to more problems than it solves.
Which is not to say that things shouldn't be attempted! It's just not a 'one size fits all' problem and answer.
ETA to make more sense!

@MrMarkhamsFanClub I have lived in a few older places and was thinking along similar lines.

It’s also not simply a block of flats with the exact same upgrade requirements. Each one will need to be individually assessed and a plan made. It’s something that can happen rapidly. It will likely be inconvenient for the tenants and in some cases will mean they need to relocate entirely.

Surely some of these will not be able to be upgraded at all.

Honestly that is nonsense.
Yes you can't make them airtight. You can fit insulation and central heating. You can also fit modern windows in a sympathetic style and usually double glazing, unless listed.
I know this from experience. Many of these rented houses owned by the duchy do not have central heating and gave little or no insulation. There is no excuse for that. Yes it costs more to fit than in a modern townhouse, but it is perfectly possible to fit.