Following King Charles III’s ascension to the throne, Prince William was left in charge of the Duchy of Cornwall. The role of Duke of Cornwall comes with some interesting properties.
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An unconventional housing development
Built on 400 acres of the Duchy of Cornwall’s land lies the town of Poundbury. It is currently home to more than 4,000 people. However, the housing development is like no other.
In 1984, the then-Prince Charles faced scrutiny when he dubbed the extension to London’s National Gallery a ‘monstrous carbuncle’. King Charles III was very outspoken about his architectural visions and, in the late 1980s, began working on a unique project: Poundbury.
According to BBC, construction began in 1993 on the outskirts of Dorchester. Insider reports that the town was built in a New Urbanism style with the help of Luxembourgish architect Leon Krier. That’s to say, the main focuses of the development are walkable spaces and environmentally friendly practices.
Poundbury’s estate development manager Jason Bowerman told Insider:
There’s the hope that everyone will be carbon-neutral
Indeed, per BBC, Rainbarrow Farm, a joint venture with local farmers, is Britain’s first full-scale anaerobic digester and biomethane-to-grid plant. It allows Poundbury and some 90,000 houses in West Dorset to heat themselves thanks to 100% renewable bio-methane gas.
King Charles used to visit the town at least twice a year, according to Insider. Now, the responsibility befalls Prince William.
A paradise island off the coast of Cornwall
Just off the Cornish coast lie the Isles of Scilly. The archipelago is a world apart from mainland Britain, with its turquoise waters and white sandy beaches.
It is the hottest place in Britain, according to MyLondon, with temperatures averaging 12°C at its lowest and 35°C at its highest.
This beautiful part of the country now belongs to Prince William, Duke of Cornwall, as the Duchy of Cornwall owns most of the 200-plus islands. According to Hello!, the Duchy also owns almost a third of the houses on St Mary’s, Tresco, St Martin’s, St Agnes and Bryher, the five inhabited islands.
Tresco is reportedly a favourite holiday destination for Royal family members. In July this year, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, to Tresco for a two-week summer vacation. According to the Visit Isles of Scilly website, the island is the second largest in the archipelago and is a ‘subtropical gem’. The mile-wide island boasts a variety of tropical flowers and palm trees.
Emily and Don Crees, owners of the Seven Stones Inn on the island, said:
We couldn’t believe we were still in the UK.
Sources used:
- Insider: 'King Charles III’s vision helped build an experimental English town, but not everybody is sold on its ‘movie set’ energy'
- BBC News: 'Poundbury: After 30 years, has King Charles’ town worked?'
- MyLondon: 'Prince William now owns a remote island where he took Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Louis and Kate for their summer holiday'
- Hello!: 'Prince William’s most surprising residences in the new £1.2bn property portfolio'
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