The British monarchy has long been a symbol of wealth and power, with the royal family owning vast amounts of land and property. However, recent reports have shed light on the controversial use of public funds by members of the royal family.
According to an investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, King Charles and Prince William's private estates – specifically the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster – are taking millions of pounds from taxpayer-funded organisations such as the National Health Service (NHS), state schools, and even the armed forces.
But what exactly is the Duchy of Lancaster? And how did it come to have such a significant role in the British monarchy?
What is the Duchy of Lancaster?
Put simply, the Duchy of Lancaster is land privately owned by the reigning monarch. This includes parts of the Strand with the familiar name Savoy.
Peter of Savoy
Its history dates back to Peter of Savoy, also known as The Little Charlemagne. He was originally from France and became a trusted adviser to King Henry III after his niece, Eleanor of Provence, married the king.
On 12th February 1246, Peter (Count of Savoy) received an area of land, Savoy Manor, from Henry III. He built a palace on this site, but the property was given to a hospice in Savoy upon his death in 1268.
Queen Eleanor of Provence, bought back the land. The estate was later given to Henry and Eleanor’s third son, Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster. As a result, the estate would become part of the Duchy of Lancaster.
John of Gaunt
The legacy of Edmund was passed down to his great-granddaughter, Blanche, who inherited the estate and married John of Gaunt in 1362, the son of Edward III.
After the death of his father-in-law, the Duke of Lancaster, in 1361, John gained significant wealth and titles. As half of his father-in-law's lands were passed down to him, he was now known as the "Earl of Lancaster" and considered the largest landowner in Northern England due to his inheritance of the Palatinate of Lancaster.
The remaining Lancaster property was added to John's assets when Blanche's sister Maud, Countess of Leicester passed away without any children on 10 April 1362. On 13 November 1362, John was officially given the title "Duke of Lancaster" by his father. It is said that he owned land in almost every county in England.
Richard II
Richard II ascended the English throne in 1377 at the tender age of 10 after inheriting the throne from his grandfather Edward III. The son of Edward, the Black Prince, and Joan of Kent, Richard was born in Bordeaux, 1367.
As the first king whose appearance is known for certain, Richard II actively used imagery and artistic representation to elevate the position of the monarch. However, he also appeared self-obsessed and only concerned with his own needs and feelings. He sought constant praise, respect, and even worship.
The Tyranny of Richard II
The last two years of Richard's reign are often referred to as a period of tyranny, marked by forced loans, arbitrary arrests, and the murder of the king's rivals. Richard sought revenge for past humiliations and tried to solidify his image as a powerful ruler.
When John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, died in 1399, Richard II confiscated the Lancastrian estates. This act prevented them from passing to John's son and potential rival, Henry Bolingbroke.
Unfortunately for Richard II, this decision would prove to be a critical mistake that ultimately led to his downfall. By denying Henry Bolingbroke his rightful inheritance, Richard created an enemy who would go on to depose him and take the throne as King Henry IV.
Henry IV
In 1399, Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile and launched a campaign to overthrow Richard II, ascending the throne as King Henry IV. He was able to win over parliament, secure Richard's abdication, and be crowned on October 13th.
Only two months into his reign, a plot involving several earls was discovered and quickly dealt with. The perpetrators were executed, along with thirty other barons deemed rebels against the new monarchy.
Henry's next challenge was deciding what to do with Richard II. By usurping the throne and bypassing Richard's young heir Edmund de Mortimer, he had created potential backlash within the kingdom. In February 1400, only a few months after his coronation, Richard II's mysterious death came as no surprise.
The Royal Charter: Tying the Duchy of Lancaster to the English Crown
One of the key actions taken by Henry IV upon ascending to the throne was securing his power and property through a royal charter. This charter declared the Duchy of Lancaster as private property belonging solely to the reigning monarch, a status that remains unchanged even in present times.
This move served multiple purposes for Henry IV. Firstly, it guaranteed a steady flow of income for future Lancastrian kings, which was crucial for maintaining their rule over England. Additionally, it solidified their control over the Duchy and its vast resources, further strengthening their position as rulers.
Henry VII and the Savoy Hospital
In 1505, Henry VII began to convert the Savoy estate into a hospital, modelled after those in Florence and Milan. He left funds in his will for its expansion and maintenance, with the goal of housing one hundred poor people on a nightly basis.
The hospital remained under royal control until 1553 when Edward VI granted it to the City of London. Mary I restored the hospital in 1556. However, due to the establishment of new hospitals in London, the demand for the Savoy Hospital's services decreased. It was subsequently repurposed as a multipurpose site for housing nobility and soldiers.
In 1702, the hospital was dissolved, and its buildings were repurposed for other uses. However, in the nineteenth century, all the original hospital structures were demolished and replaced with new ones. The only remaining structure from the original hospital is its main chapel, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
Conclusion
For centuries, the British monarchy has been synonymous with wealth and power, with the royal family owning vast amounts of land and properties. However, recent reports have brought to light the controversial use of public funds by certain members of the royal family.
The roots of this issue trace back to Richard II's reign, which was marked by a significant financial reformation. In 1399, Richard II orchestrated a bold move by confiscating the powerful Lancastrian estates from John of Gaunt's son, Henry Bolingbroke, to consolidate his power and eliminate rivals. This decision not only incited fury and led to Richard’s downfall but also established the precedent for the private ownership of royal estates separate from the crown. When Henry IV took over, he chartered the Duchy of Lancaster as a personal asset of the sovereign, thus solidifying a royal tradition that persists to this day.
The controversy surrounding the royal's involvement in profiting from public entities has sparked debates on the ethics and transparency of the royal family's finances. On one hand, some argue that these estates have been in the possession of the royals for centuries and should not be subject to scrutiny. On the other hand, others raise concerns about fairness and accountability, questioning whether it is ethical for public funds to be used for private gain by individuals born into wealth and privilege.
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