Last year the Duchy of Cornwall paid William £23m. The Duchy of Lancaster paid Charles £27m. That's money that should be spent on local communities and public services. It's time to ditch the duchies.
Abolish the Duchies
Republic is committed to the abolition of the monarchy. As part of that continuing campaign we are challenging the royals' control of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and why we allow them to take the profits as private income.
The Duchies aren't places on a map, they're organisations that use the names Lancaster and Cornwall to suggest some ancient connection with the land. Most of the Duchy of Cornwall's land is in Devon and across the South West, as well as London and elsewhere.
Check out Republic's new Ditch the Duchies report to find out more.
A new campaign
Ditch the Duchies is a new Republic campaign. The aim is simple: abolition of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
Our demand:
- Pass all the revenue and assets onto a new 'National Estate'.
- Stop huge incomes being paid to Charles and William.
- End all legal exemptions given to Charles and William as Dukes.
- Abolish the Duchies.
The action:
- Publish a report that demonstrates why the Duchies are public property
- Raise awareness in the media
- Challenge broadcasters to stop referring to the Duchies as private estates
- Challenge the government and palace to be honest about who owns the Duchies
- Local activism around the country
- Lobby MPs and ministers to scrap the Duchies, so funds can be spent on local communities
- Stage protests and stunts aimed at the two duchies
- Run billboard adverts in Cornwall, Lancashire and elsewhere
- More podcast and digital content
A new National Estate
These two organisations are maintained for one purpose, to give huge private incomes to William and Charles. Yet Duchy land belongs to the nation.
Republic is calling for the abolition of both Duchies, and for all their assets and income to be rolled into a new National Estate, which will invest its funds in local communities and services.
Read the new Republic Ditch the Duchies report.
You Can Take Action
Republic will be writing to the government, MPs, the royals and the media... demanding the abolition of the duchies and calling for honesty and accuracy in how they're reported.
You can add your voice to the campaign.
💥Donate
Donate to Republic's Ditch the Duchy Appeal. The more money raised the more we can do.
If the appeal raises more than £10,000 Republic will invest in billboards and new opinion polling. The appeal will also fund Duchy protests, more research and lobbying of MPs, ministers and broadcasters.
💥Write to your MP
Use Republic's MyMP form to write to your MP and tell them about the Ditch the Duchies campaign. Ask them to challenge the government and raise the issue with the Public Accounts and Treasury select committees. See the MyMP page for details and use the form to send your email.
💥Take action where you live
Check out the local activism page and get involved where you live. Either get in touch with your local ambassador, or get in touch to start something in your area.
💥Challenge the BBC and broadcasters
Journalists from the BBC and other national broadcasters often refer to the Duchies as 'private estates' and usually assume the Duchies belong to the royals. When you see that happen, use their complaints pages to call them out. Tell them the Duchies are public property and point them to Republic's Ditch the Duchies report.
Complain to the BBC
Complain to ITV News
Complain to Sky News💥Join the Duchy protest!
Republic will be working with activists and local campaigners to develop stunts and protests in the summer. Get involved, come along and get your voice heard as Republic demands action on the Duchy scam.
💥Get the Ditch the Duchy merchandise
It's time to take back our land
The Duchy of Lancaster and Duchy of Cornwall are huge property empires controlled by the royals. Lancaster gives its profits to Charles as a private income, Cornwall gives its profits to William. Yet both duchies are in fact the property of the nation, not the royal family.
"So in effect, we're all paying Charles and William a personal income of more than £23m each, every year."
These organisations get tens of millions of pounds a year from ordinary people and public services. They charge rents and other fees and costs which is paid either by private tenants or state schools, the NHS and other public and charitable organisations, as well as private companies who use Duchy land.
But all the land belongs to 'The Crown', not the Windsor family. The Crown is a state institution, it belongs to the nation along with everything it owns.
So in effect, we're all paying Charles and William a personal income of more than £23m each, every year.
There is absolutely no way to justify this waste. The revenue and profits from the two Duchies should be spent on local communities and services.
Check out the Ditch the Duchies report to find out more.
Or download the pdf version here
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