Royal estates owned by King Charles and Prince William are renting out homes that fail to meet legal energy efficiency standards, leaving tenants in poorly insulated properties with archaic heating systems. A tenant in failing health, living in a mostly uninsulated home heated only by coal-fired stoves, told the Guardian: "This place is not up to the standards of the 20th century, let alone the 21st. It's archaic. It needs to be upgraded but I don't think they want to spend the money."
Duchy of Cornwall's Mission vs. Reality
This summer, the duchy of Cornwall launched a new website with a bold statement: "We're on a mission to become a world-leading impact organisation." However, upgrading hundreds of ageing, mostly rural, rented cottages, farmhouses, and country houses remains a significant challenge. The duchy, established in 1337 to provide income to male heirs to the throne, enjoys profit margins of about 60% and pays out more than £20m a year to the monarch's eldest son, benefiting from exemptions on corporation tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax.
Prince William, four years into his tenure as the 25th duke of Cornwall, has promised to transform his inheritance: "There is so much good we can do. I'm trying to make sure I'm prioritising stuff that's going to make people's lives, living in those areas, better." The duchy announced earlier this year it would sell off 20% of the estate over the next decade and invest £500m in local communities, housing, and environmental projects.
Tenants' Struggles and Housing Crisis
Many duchy tenants are reluctant to speak out, facing a housing crisis in areas where properties are often turned into holiday lets or second homes, leaving few rental options. The cottages, often built cheaply for agricultural workers, are typically stone or single-skin brick, clustered around farms or in villages across Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and Dartmoor. Common complaints include the duchy's reluctance to spend money, slow repairs, and cold, hard winters.
One tenant expressed uncertainty about his future: "I'm sure this is one of the properties that he will sell and I don't know what will happen to me after that. Will they have to find somewhere else for me or will I just be turfed out?"
Duchy Responses and Investment Plans
In response to the Guardian's investigation, the duchy of Cornwall acknowledged its "unique portfolio, including many historic buildings located in isolated rural and island locations," which brings challenges addressed through a retrofit programme. A spokesperson said: "We recognise that these challenges mean work does not always happen as fast as we would like, but we will continue to work closely with our tenants to identify effective and practical energy-efficiency improvements as quickly as possible."
The duchy added that an additional £50m is planned for improving existing properties, on top of the £500m investment. It has spent £11m on home improvements since 2022 and delivered 150 "modern, energy-efficient homes, all of which are EPC A or B" in the past year, though only six were duchy private rents, with most sold.
The duchy of Lancaster, inherited by the king in 2022, covers 18,000 hectares and spans from northern England to Northamptonshire and parts of London. A spokesperson said: "Any tenant with concerns is encouraged to contact us directly and can be assured we will address these issues promptly and constructively." They noted investments of more than £3m in residential property repairs and upgrades over the last year, while acknowledging challenges in improving energy efficiency of historic buildings.
Sandringham estate, also inherited by the king, said its properties are "fully compliant with MEES regulations," with exemptions necessary for a small number. A spokesperson added: "We continue to invest significantly in an ongoing programme of maintenance and improvement works on all properties, including those out of scope of the regulations, to upgrade energy efficiency across the estate."
The three estates, collectively worth well over £2bn, own more than 1,000 rental homes. Elizabeth Earle, a knowledge lawyer at Farrer & Co, which acts for the duchies, noted the irony: "While these are precisely the sort of properties in which people dream of living, it is becoming increasingly hard to let them – and nigh-on impossible to make them comply with modern standards."
