The Controversy of King Charles III and the Duchy of Lancaster

The British monarchy has long been a symbol of wealth and power, with the Royal Family owning vast amounts of land and property. However, recent reports have shed light on the controversial use of public funds by members of the Royal Family.

According to an investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, King Charles and Prince William's private estates – specifically the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster – are taking millions of pounds from taxpayer-funded organisations such as the National Health Service (NHS), state schools, and even the armed forces.

But what exactly is the Duchy of Lancaster? And what does the Strand have to do with it?

What is the Duchy of Lancaster?

Put simply, the Duchy of Lancaster is land privately owned by the reigning monarch. It consists of 18,454 hectares of land – that's almost 130 times the size of Hyde Park! The land is across England and Wales, but mostly in the North of England. It also includes parts of the Strand with the familiar name Savoy, where John of Gaunt's Savoy Palace was destroyed during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.

Peter of Savoy

The Savoy’s history dates back to Peter of Savoy, also known as The Little Charlemagne. He was originally from France and became a trusted adviser to King Henry III after his niece, Eleanor of Provence, married the king. On 12th February 1246, Peter (Count of Savoy) received an area of land, Savoy Manor, from Henry III. He built a palace on this site, but the property was given to a hospice in Savoy upon his death in 1268.

Edmund Crouchbank

At the same time, Henry III was gifting land to his third son, Edmund Crouchbank. In 1265, he was gifted land forfeited by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and land taken from Robert Ferrers, Earl of Derby. In 1267, Edmund was given the county of Lancaster, and it became known as the Lancaster inheritance. In 1268, Queen Eleanor (Henry's wife) bought back the Savoy estate and later gave it to their son, Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster. As a result, the estate would become part of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The Rise of the Duchy of Lancaster

John of Gaunt

In 1351, Edmund's grandson Henry Grosmont was given the title Duke of Lancaster and royal powers over the county of Lancaster and could effectively do what he pleased.

In 1359, Henry's daughter Blanche married John of Gaunt, the son of Edward III. John gained significant wealth and titles after the death of his father-in-law, Henry Grosmont, the Duke of Lancaster, in 1361. As half of his father-in-law's lands were passed down to him, he was now known as the "Earl of Lancaster" and considered the largest landowner in Northern England due to his inheritance of the Palatinate of Lancaster.

The remaining Lancaster property was added to John's assets when Blanche's sister Maud, Countess of Leicester, passed away without children on 10 April 1362. On 13 November 1362, John was officially named "Duke of Lancaster" by his father. It is said that he owned land in almost every county in England.

The Tyranny of Richard II

Richard II

Richard II ascended the English throne in 1377 at the tender age of 10 after inheriting the throne from his grandfather Edward III. The last two years of Richard's reign are often referred to as a period of tyranny, marked by forced loans, arbitrary arrests, and the murder of the king's rivals. Richard sought revenge for past humiliations and tried to solidify his image as a powerful ruler.

When John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, died in 1399, Richard II confiscated the Lancastrian estates. This act prevented them from passing to John's son and potential rival, Henry Bolingbroke, who was already been forced into exile for 10 years on trumped up treason charges. This was later changed to life exile once Richard gained John's Lancastrian estate.

Unfortunately for Richard II, this decision would prove to be a critical mistake that ultimately led to his downfall. By denying Henry Bolingbroke his rightful inheritance, Richard created an enemy who would go on to depose him and take the throne as King Henry IV.

Arise Henry IV

Henry IV

In 1399, Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile and launched a campaign to overthrow Richard II. He successfully defeated Richard and was able to win over parliament to secure Richard's abdication,and be crowned on the 13th October 1399.

Only two months into his reign, a plot involving several earls was discovered and quickly dealt with. The perpetrators were executed, along with thirty other barons deemed rebels against the new monarchy.

Henry's next challenge was deciding what to do with Richard II. By usurping the throne and bypassing Richard's young heir Edmund de Mortimer, he had created potential backlash within the kingdom. In February 1400, only a few months after his coronation, Richard II's mysterious death came as no surprise.

The Royal Charter: Tying the Duchy of Lancaster to the English Crown ​ 

One of the key actions taken by Henry IV upon ascending to the throne was securing his power and property through a royal charter. This charter decreed that the Duchy of Lancaster should be a distinct entity held separately from all other Crown possessions and handed down through the monarchy.

This move served multiple purposes for Henry IV. Firstly, it guaranteed a steady flow of income for future Lancastrian kings, which was crucial for maintaining their rule over England. Additionally, it solidified their control over the Duchy and its vast resources, further strengthening their position as rulers.​

Thus, this charter still stands to this day.

Henry VII and the Savoy Hospital

In 1505, Henry VII began to convert the Savoy estate into a hospital, modelled after those in Florence and Milan. He left funds in his will for its expansion and maintenance, with the goal of housing one hundred poor people on a nightly basis.

The hospital remained under royal control until 1553 when Edward VI granted it to the City of London. Mary I restored the hospital in 1556. However, due to the establishment of new hospitals in London, the demand for the Savoy Hospital's services decreased. It was subsequently repurposed as a multipurpose site for housing nobility and soldiers.

In 1702, the hospital was dissolved, and its buildings were repurposed for other uses. However, in the nineteenth century, all the original hospital structures were demolished and replaced with new ones. The only remaining structure from the original hospital is its main chapel, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Conclusion

For centuries, the British monarchy has been synonymous with wealth and power, with the Royal Family owning vast amounts of land and properties. However, recent reports have brought to light the contended use of public funds by them.

The roots of this issue trace back to Richard II's reign, which was marked by a significant financial reformation. In 1399, Richard II orchestrated a bold move by confiscating the powerful Lancastrian estates from John of Gaunt's son, Henry Bolingbroke, to consolidate his power and eliminate rivals. This decision not only incited fury and led to Richard’s downfall but also established the precedent for the private ownership of royal estates separate from the crown. When Henry IV took over, he chartered the Duchy of Lancaster as a personal asset of the sovereign, thus solidifying a royal tradition that persists to this day.

The controversy surrounding the royal's involvement in profiting from public entities has sparked debates on the ethics and transparency of the Royal Family's finances. On one hand, some argue that these estates have been in the possession of the royals for centuries and should not be subject to scrutiny. While others raise concerns about fairness and accountability, questioning whether it is ethical for public funds to be used for private gain by individuals born into wealth and privilege. What do you think?

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