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Why Prince William's estate is giving some tenants a rental discount
The estate which provides Prince William and Kate with their income has pledged to 'stop and reflect' after it emerged the Duchy of Cornwall had secured rental agreements with public bodies worth millions of pounds.
The estate said it would now prioritise becoming a landlord with social impact following recent damaging disclosures in a TV documentary.
The Prince of Wales received £22.9 million from the Duchy of Cornwall last year for the official running of his household and the private needs of his family.
Earlier this year, Channel 4's Dispatches revealed that the estate charged rent to small charities, as well as, government departments including the Ministries of Defence and Justice.
Under the new rental agreement, rent for grassroots community groups will be waived and local charity groups who directly rent space from the Duchy will receive a 50% discount.
But the Royal Navy will still be charged to moor its ships on Duchy waterways and rent will also still be collected from Dartmoor Prison for being on its land.
The estate's chief executive Will Bax said the new policy focused on direct tenants.
'We have created a new policy relating to rents charged to community groups and local charities, where they are active within our communities," he said.
Sources revealed the Duchy of Cornwall had been through a 'clear point of reflection' and Prince William wanted it to better operate through a social impact lens.
But Kensington Palace has refused to say how much income tax Prince William paid on his earnings, stressing he had a right to privacy.
The previous Prince of Wales - now King Charles - used to share the amount of income tax he had paid on his earnings.
But when William became the 25th Duke of Cornwall that changed.
Prince William's spokesperson said the heir to the throne paid the 'highest rate of tax' – but did not disclose the amount.
What is the Duchy of Cornwall - and what does it mean for Prince William?
Royal estates defend claims 'millions' earnt from NHS and state school contracts
The Duchy of Cornwall was set up in 1348 to provide a source of income for the next in line to the throne which was independent of the Sovereign.
It currently owns 50,000 hectares of land mostly in the southwest but also in various other parts of the country.
The estate is planning a major new town development similar to the ones Prince Charles started at Poundbury in Dorset and Nansledan in Cornwall.
The new site in Faversham in Kent was 'inspired by the learnings' from the previous two developments, according to Will Bax, and will build 2500 homes, a new school, health centre and sports facilities.
The Royal accounts also showed Prince William's 24 hour trip to Estonia earlier this year cost £55,846 in travel costs alone.
These costs were met by the Sovereign Grant, the money which pays for other royals operating in the household of Buckingham Palace.
The flights came from that pot of money because the visit to British troops stationed there was on behalf of the Foreign Office.
Kensington Palace revealed there were 68 people employed in William's household, which also looked after the Princess of Wales and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but that workers from diverse backgrounds fell slightly short of their target of 14%.
The current figure is 13.2%.
