William to sell off parts of Duchy of Cornwall "for positive impact"

[BasiliskStare]

On the face of it (& I have read the article once so reserve the right to change my mind , be persuaded by those more knowledgeable than me or by other arguments ) this looks like a good thing - or maybe a good start. I'm sure W can manage nicely with the income from 80% of. £1bn Duchy 😊

I don't think this excuses him from not being transparent about finances , but am I being naive to think this is edging towards a good thing? I know there is an argument the Duchy is ill-gotten gains he shouldn't have in the first place. I'm quite pleased to see affordable housing in London referred to , which having a DS who lives in London , I'm very aware of. That's obviously personal to me though.

Anyway - for what it's worth - here's the article

archive.ph/qi1V9

I know what you are saying but to have a truly massive increase when the buildings are the same, the staff are the same (OR LESS) does not make sense. Why is an extra £50 million needed from last year to this?

You do also know he doesn't own the crown personally?

Please don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. Of course I know that. He hardly sticks it in his bedside cabinet when he goes to bed!
However, I am talking about the optics, about how it looks, about a man with £5 billion on his head and ermine robes, talking about child poverty.
I'm sure you realise the point I am making, you choose not to grasp it.

Okay so that was a tax issue - not a spending issue - again good it was caught but in terms of spending he can spend the Duchy on personal use.

The point I was making is he can’t overspend on the SG just to get more money for himself.

But those are actually part of the Crown Jewels! , they didn’t cost as much as that when they were made and it’s part of our tradition!!!
everyone knows this including school children, what do you suggest? Dismantling them ? Selling them? Odd.

If profits are going up which causes the increase because it’s a percentage I assume costs are going up too.

It’s the job of the auditors and the government oversight to decide if it’s being spent correctly - same as we have to hope the government is spending the rest of the Crown profit wisely.

It’s a step in the right direction, clearly they are aware the status quo looks outdated. Hopefully it won’t be the usual PR spin

Another royalist who chooses not to understand the point I'm making.
Do you honestly think I don't know they are part of the Crown Jewels?!

Nowhere in my post have I said they should be sold. Nowhere in my post have I said they should be dismantled. How odd to draw that conclusion!
I have talked of optics in both my comments on this. Maybe re-read my posts?

yes - my fault - the example I gave was Charles trying to get Camilla’s expenses through as tax exempt re the Duchy accounts

The Duchys need to be moved to part of the crown estate . The Windsors have exploited us for long enough .

I do think the Crown looks weirder on Charles than it did on the late Queen - maybe we were just used to it on her or maybe it’s men that look weird with ‘head jewels’.

I think they should go back to doing what they did when it was too heavy for the Queen and when she couldn’t attend - bring it in and set it on a chair as the symbol of the constitutional monarchy and have the monarch just wear military uniform or a nice suit - donate the robes to a museum.

So costs have risen by 53.5% in just one year? How? Why?

For the last time!!! I’m not a royalist! Stop your nonsense! , complaining about optics while the king is reading a government speech from parliament is a rubbish point and that is why people are questioning you!
what would look better!! Sack cloth and ashes? , in the middle of a dump? Perhaps Lidl?
🙄

How have profits gone up is the question because that dictates the amount.

You’d have to look at the accounts to see if it’s all being spent to see how much costs have gone up.

Amount given is not amount spent.

I have to trust that the government department who is paid to monitor this is doing their job, and that of not our MPs are on it.

Oh no I thought this was in AIBU, I’ve stumbled into here by accident.

Evacuate!

Never really noticed or bothered to pay that much attention @wordler! I see what you are saying, his grandfather looked a tad odd in it too!

Save yourself!!! Run for the hills!! 😉🤣🤣

It's only two of you who are pro Monarchy (if that's the term you prefer) questioning me. Lots of others have agreed with my posts, so there 😂

As for the rest of your post... it has made me laugh so thank you! Lidl hehe! Middle of a dump, yes agree with that one... perhaps that huge dump he's trying to get the Council to buy so his Duchy doesn't have to deal with it, that'll suit me!

The main reason that the Windsor take from taxpayer ballooned was that greedy old Elizabeth had stated that the seabed was hers in the 1960s and no one corrected her .
Wind farms on the sea bed - hence massive profits for Charles . The rest of the uk populace - not so much

Exactly right.

The same kind of circular chicanery C3 indulged in when Highgrove was bought for him by the DoC, rent was paid by him to the Duchy as landlord and subsequently returned to him in the form of Duchy profits.

All smoke and mirrors.

Going back to this thread topic, my issue isn’t the sale it’s the system. He controls a private estate that can sell assets without paying capital gains tax, reinvest the money, and generate income that funds his lifestyle. Most people don’t get that kind of tax-efficient setup and he is passing it off as something altruistic

I'm sorry - that was unnecessarily snarky.

No worries! I just have this mental picture now of Charles giving the Crown a bit of a polish before bedtime and sticking it in his bedside cabinet ooops!

I think most people would imagine the SG would cover the costs of travel to and from overseas state visits and official gifts to the host country but it doesn't.

We pay for both.

Funds from the SG reserve fund have partially underwritten the cost of royal knees-ups like the Jubilee and Coronation.

Not clear why the royals can't pay for their own parties but unused funds should be returned to the public purse.

With the civil list payments the individuals paid could just pocket and keep any funds left over at the end of the year.

This arrangement enabled Victoria to finance the 'private' purchases of Sandringham, Balmoral (and Osborne House) after Albert fraudulently bleated for an increase in funding to meet increased expenses.

More property that belongs to the nation.

For the umpteenth time!!! 🙄 I’m neither a royalist,a monarchist,a republican or a magic unicorn!!! , I neither support nor oppose the monarchy, I have accepted that they are here to stay and I don’t have the same relentless hatred of them all , that you obviously have!
i do however dislike unfair criticisms and bullying, as you yourself have stated when defending h and m !! , perhaps you would like me to stick an uncorrect label on you ?
Let’s see… how about a fan?