His Majesty takes a keen interest in the estate and makes several private visits each year to meet with tenants, staff and the local community. The Clerk of the Council, Alastair Martin CVO, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Duchy and is responsible for the operational management of the Duchy, reporting to the Duchy Council and providing regular updates to His Majesty.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible to the Sovereign for the administration of the Duchy but delegates the majority of his or her functions to the Duchy Council. Members of Council are appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Chancellor.
The title Duke of Lancaster has been held by the reigning Sovereign since 1399. Regardless of the Monarch’s gender, the title “Duke” is used by long-standing convention. This practice was affirmed in the reign of Queen Victoria, who stated that the holder of a dukedom is always styled “Duke,” while “Duchess” applies only to the wife of a duke. For this reason, both Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty King Charles III were and are properly referred to as the Duke of Lancaster.
The title is most visible within Lancashire and in matters relating specifically to the Duchy’s estates, traditions, and ceremonial roles and reflects the Sovereign’s unique relationship with the Duchy.
Both the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall are historic landed private estates, but they are managed separately and serve different members of the royal family. The Duchy of Cornwall is held by the heir to the throne—currently His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales—who receives its net income. In contrast, the Duchy of Lancaster is held by the reigning monarch and provides a source of private income for the sovereign.
The Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate held by His Majesty The King, as Duke of Lancaster. The estate’s net income is paid to the Privy Purse, this being the King’s private income.
The Crown Estate is owned by the Monarch “in right of the Crown”. In other words, the estate is owned by the Crown corporately, not personally, and the Monarch does not manage or make decisions about its assets. This dates back to 1760 when George III surrendered the management of Crown Lands to Parliament for a fixed annual payment. The Crown Estate’s profits are delivered to the Treasury, which then makes an annual payment to the Monarch of a proportion of the Crown Estate’s profits, currently 12%, as the Sovereign Grant.
The Duchy of Lancaster is not a corporation and is therefore not subject to Corporation tax.
Yes. His Majesty voluntarily pays tax on income received from the Duchy, as His mother Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, did before him.
The estate’s net surplus (income) is paid to the Privy Purse (the British sovereign’s private income) for His Majesty The King as Duke of Lancaster.
The County Palatine of Lancaster is the area over which the Duchy of Lancaster retains certain historic rights and customs.
It was created in 1351 by Edward III for Henry, Fourth Earl of Lancaster giving Henry control of justice and administration in the County as it then was. That control was surrendered some years ago.
The historic boundary of the County Palatine of Lancashire remains unchanged and encompasses the administrative Counties of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside together with parts of Furness and Widnes.
Under a long-standing principle of UK law, property or goods cannot remain ownerless. Bona Vacantia (“ownerless goods”) comprise the assets of dissolved companies and of individuals who die without a will and without identifiable heirs.
These assets pass to HM Treasury although where the company is registered or the individual died in the County Palatine of Lancaster then they instead pass to the Duchy of Lancaster.
The procedures for the administration of Bona Vacantia and escheat in the County of Palatine are administered by Farrer & Co on behalf of the Duchy, full information is provided on their website: https://www.farrer.co.uk/campaigns/bona-vacantia/
Farrer & Co go to considerable lengths to identify kin with the help of genealogists and historical records.
Where kin cannot be found or there are no claimants related to dissolved companies, the net income when received by the Duchy is transferred to the Duke of Lancaster’s Foundation, a charity which distributes funds to:
- Support local community and environmental initiatives, predominantly in the North of the England.
- Preserve public and historic properties within the Duchy of Lancaster estates.
- Provide affordable housing within the Duchy of Lancaster estates.