Ch4 Dispatches tonight about Royals making money

Allira

^It obviously dates back to William the Conqueror, from whom the English monarchy is descended (though somewhat distantly...)^

Over 25% of the British population is descended from William the Conqueror and probably a much larger percentage from his Companions.
Perhaps many of us could claim a piece of land.

😂

MaizieD

Allira

It obviously dates back to William the Conqueror, from whom the English monarchy is descended (though somewhat distantly...)

Over 25% of the British population is descended from William the Conqueror and probably a much larger percentage from his Companions.
Perhaps many of us could claim a piece of land.

😂

I can claim direct descent from Sir Walter Tyrell who killed William Rufus with an arrow (I don't tell my Norman neighbours this). 😂

The King and William should right the wrongs identified in the C4 documentary. At a stroke of a pen they could say ‘the Duchies will only charge a peppercorn rent to public sector services / charities’.

They should be ashamed to take rent from state schools, the fire service, NHS, MacMillan and Marie Curie, plus more. At the very least, they should stop pretending to be ‘holier than thou’ when they are actually fleecing the national coffers!

Over-privileged parasites

Time to get rid, me thinks.

Allira

Farzanah

Just 20 dukes own nearly a million acres of Britain.
Feudal or what?

So what do you propose should happen to this land?

Given over for more buildings, concreted over?
Given to the people so some can put down artificial grass?

Or let the present custodians carry on caring for these 1,000,000 acres while we can worry about the other 59,000,000 acres they don't own?

They could allow access for starters.

Mamie

MaizieD

Allira

It obviously dates back to William the Conqueror, from whom the English monarchy is descended (though somewhat distantly...)

Over 25% of the British population is descended from William the Conqueror and probably a much larger percentage from his Companions.
Perhaps many of us could claim a piece of land.

😂

I can claim direct descent from Sir Walter Tyrell who killed William Rufus with an arrow (I don't tell my Norman neighbours this). 😂

That's wonderful! Wish I could go that far back with our ancestry :-)

I do think the programme revealed some very unsavoury things - even if they were biased and just making television.

I knew the Duchy of Cornwall owned most of Cornwall (and there was a TV programme some years ago where local people complained and said the Duchy were bullies and there were lots of issues). I didn't know anything about the Duchy of Lancaster.

No doubt King Charles and Prince William employ a host of people to run their business ventures for them and may say - nothing to do with us, we hire accountants etc to deal with it. But really it is their responsibility if they own the land.

There is a "Lord" in my area who owns an awful lot of houses in the area that are rented out. They are very low rents but the tenants are expected to do any repairs or improvements themselves. Maybe that's the case with the Duchy properties, I don't know, but they did look in bad repair. Being old houses isn't an excuses for crumbling houses!

So much about the RF that is not in keeping with a modern democracy.
As well as their exemption from Corporation and inheritance tax, and being able to submit their own income tax assessments, they are also exempt from FOI requests.
Plus "The head of state is exempt from civil and criminal proceedings, including on private assets, estates, and businesses. The King is also exempt from punishment for environmental pollution, wildlife offenses, and other green crimes".
Any new law which may impact the RF is reviewed by them and exemptions can be applied.
But, they're so good for tourism!!

I think it’s the beginning of the end for the RF, just another generation and that’s it. Sadly I won’t be around to see it.

I have no desire to see the end of the monarchy but I do think they need to be more transparent. Their wealth is always going to be a bone of contention for republicans.

Well when they've gone, not very likely, and all their homes have been made into illegal immigrant shelters, all our history destroyed, all their lands built on with little boxes homes, even less food production, all their money spent on the feckless idle, what then. What will you all whine about then eh.
Channel four, trying to deflect from this disastrous government and its disastrous budget . Enjoy your penny off a pint.

I think I'll moan about the phrase "feckless idle", I'd imagine.

MissAdventure

I think I'll moan about the phrase "feckless idle", I'd imagine.

Huge wealth should carry enormous responsibility.

The King and the Prince are not bad people but they have been immersed in feudal and capitalist culture all through their schooling and later lives. The King and the Prince don't identify with their subjects but with the global culture of the unimaginably rich elite.

Whatever happened to the 'streamlined' monarchy that Charles wanted when he was still Prince Charles?
Huge Coronation and no visible signs of slimming down staff or expenditure.

Other, bigger, countries still have royal families who live in a far more modest way have a thriving tourist industry. As mentioned before, countries with no ruling family also enjoy a thriving tourist industry.

I think the term "feckless idle" could be applied to several members of the firm.

I think the idea that Charles would start putting the royals' affairs in order was mostly a pipedream for people.

It will pass on to William, no doubt, since some believe he is just the same as any other modern family man.

How ca one say in truth there has been no visible slimming down the staff?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-14035655/RICHARD-KAY-cost-living-crisis-revelations-Royals-finances-gnaw-away-hard-won-public-trust.html

This article explains many points raised in the documentary.

Sorry. It’s behind a paywall.

Parasites I had no idea they were draining the NHS and other public sectors that are struggling so much
One bloody castle could make a dozen hospitals and nurses
So cross with them

And, given that the legal eagles will have been over that programme with a fine tooth comb before allowing it to air, you have to wonder how much was cut beforehand? What don't they want us to know?

Freya TBH the C4 documentary didn’t mention getting rid of the monarchy at all.

It exposed the huge amount of money they are taking in rent from struggling public sector organisations and from charities that they, themselves, are patrons of.

It exposed their hypocrisy with regard to environmental issues.

It gave us a glimpse of where their hearts really lie!

And the investigation has thrown up some intriguing details. One 15-year deal will see the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust in London pay £11.4 million to store its fleet of electric ambulance in a warehouse owned by the Duchy of Lancaster.

This was taken from the DM article.

So, if I’ve got this right… The taxpayer funds the NHS and the NHS is paying millions to the RF (who are funded by the tax payer) via the duchies but Charles and William don’t have to pay tax on duchy income. 🤔

Are we being shafted?

The Daily Mail is now the sword of truth .
I don’t know if it is the truth

Freya5

Well when they've gone, not very likely, and all their homes have been made into illegal immigrant shelters, all our history destroyed, all their lands built on with little boxes homes, even less food production, all their money spent on the feckless idle, what then. What will you all whine about then eh.
Channel four, trying to deflect from this disastrous government and its disastrous budget . Enjoy your penny off a pint.

Didn’t this documentary show who the “the feckless idle” really are, when some in this country are working 3 jobs to try and survive, and thousands are depending on food banks?

Those struggling in our society don’t make money simply by being alive.

Merlot, we always knew we were shafted by various sorts of fraudsters but we had believed the King was on the same side as his subjects. Now we know that with a stroke of his pen he could stop his business interests' shafting our NHS'

I must say however that many if not most members of the rich elite don't know themselves for what they are. They were all elitely and and exclusively schooled and attend elite and exclusive hospitals.