Prince William sparks criticism after making major change to King Charles' policy
The Royal Family has been revealing its finances with accounts of King Charles and Prince William's personal incomes made public - and William has made one major change from his father's previous role
Prince William is facing criticism for a major change from his father King Charles when it comes to his finances.
This week, royal accounts have been revealed, showing how much of taxpayers' cash is being used to fund the Firm in their official duties. In addition, the account of King Charles and Prince William's personal incomes has also been made public.
The King’s annual private income from his private Duchy of Lancaster estate was more than £27 million. The Duchy is an ancient portfolio of land, property and assets which is held in trust for the sovereign. Meanwhile, it was also shown that from William's hereditary private Duchy of Cornwall estate, he received £23 million. The Duchy of Cornwall was previously owned by Charles when he was Prince of Wales before it was passed to William.
However, unlike his father, William has not revealed how much tax he pays on his Duchy of Cornwall income, something Charles used to disclose when he was in charge. It has been insisted that William does pay the 'appropriate' level of tax, which is believed to be more than his father paid.
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According to The Telegraph, when asked why William didn't reveal the amount, sources said it was "how they had opted to do it for now" and that it reflected "what was required". But commentator and former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt questioned William's decision to withhold more information about his Duchy of Cornwall finances than his father did.
He said: "Royal non-disclosure triumphs over transparency. William's obsession with privacy trumps any concerns as to how this may look." He warned: "The absence of answers to basic questions could prove unsustainable in the years ahead."
The cash from the Duchy of Cornwall is used to fund William's Kensington Palace household and represents the personal funds for the heir to the throne. But the accounts published this week also revealed William and wife Kate embarked on a campaign of philanthropy by making undisclosed personal donations to charities linked to the war in Ukraine, as well as to earthquake appeals in Turkey and Syria. They also chipped in to make donations to the London Air Ambulance and other mental health charities.
It also emerged William was proving to be a modern Royal - by doing business over WhatsApp messages. Alastair Martin, the outgoing Secretary and Keeper of the Records for the Duchy of Cornwall, revealed the Prince of Wales, 42, would communicate on the messaging platform - unlike his father, 77, who preferred phone calls.
Mr Martin said: "Sustainability is a passion that they both share but there are some differences. His Royal Highness, the 24th Duke, would telephone me. His Royal Highness, the 25th Duke, will WhatsApp me." He added: "The day after Her Late Majesty died, I rang Prince William to say, 'Welcome to your Duchy, Sir'.
"I obviously knew him, I’d been working with him for the previous eight years or ten years to really explain to him what his future was during the time he was heir to the throne. And he said, ‘I’m going to give you my mobile telephone number - if you want me, just get me, just message me’. And that’s how he works and he is very involved.
"There will be weekends when my WhatsApp messages will be in double figures and I will be very responsive. If something has gone well or badly, I will want to tell my boss and he’ll be straight back."
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