Ex-royal butler reveals 'old law' that could spell boon for King Charles

Speaking to GB News, former royal Butler, Grant Harrold said: "As an employee and as somebody rented, the only thing I thought it was quite funny when I did rent the property was I was warned, if you don't have a well your property, your assets belong to the Duchy when you die.

"Because you have to have a well. That's one of these really old laws that's never kind of been changed, which used to kind of make me smile. When I found out, I remember thinking, I need a well."

This revelation comes amidst recent scrutiny of King Charles and Prince William's private estates.

An investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times has uncovered that these royal estates are reportedly receiving millions of pounds from public bodies, including the NHS, state schools, and the armed forces.

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The Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall are significant portfolios of land and property held by King Charles and Prince William respectively.

The Duchy of Lancaster, dating back to the 14th century, includes urban developments, historic buildings, farmland, and areas of natural beauty across England and Wales.

Speaking about the documentary, the former royal butler said: "That's the business side. They've been really sensible with it, it's been known for centuries.

He added that it is "not a secret" and there is a "lot of history" behind the private estates.

He explained: "The point is that they've turned them into successful businesses. They do really well, and there's nothing unusual about it.

"I mean to say, they've got properties, people pay rent on those properties.

"It's just a business as simple as that. Obviously, this documentary looked into it to find out where they have properties and what kind of money is made.

"But nothing about it really surprised me or shocked me."

Last year the King asked for profits from a £1billion-a-year Crown Estate wind farm deal to be used for the "wider public good".

But the investigation found he would still make at least £28million from wind farms because of a feudal right to charge for cables crossing land belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster.

The King's annual income from the Duchy of Lancaster rose by 5 per cent to £27.4million in 2023/24, according to accounts published by the estate in July.