King Charles and Prince William could be caught in fight over £13m Dartmoor restoration project

Prince William is the new Duke of Cornwall with his wife, Princess Kate, the Duchess. The title used to belong to Charles, but when he became King, it was passed down. As Duke of Cornwall, Prince William owns the Duchy of Cornwall. As reported by Guardian, this is a land and property estate controlled by the heir to the throne, in this case, Prince William.

Currently, Dartmoor National Park, in Cornwall, is in the midst of a £13m taxpayer-funded nature restoration and this has been ongoing for the past 10 years. However, restoration plans aren’t going smoothly as farmers apparently aren’t doing their part to help.

Since the Duchy is controlled by Prince William, and at one point, King Charles, the two Royals could be held responsible for the lack of cooperation from the Cornish farmers.

The Dartmoor national park restoration

The farmers’ responsibility in the restoration project for Dartmoor National Park is to reduce their livestock numbers, as the animals graze the land and this is a major factor in the deterioration of the land.

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Dartmoor National Park is a key national wildlife ecosystem that needs to be protected and despite the government’s funding over the last 10 years, very little improvement has been noted.

Due to the lack of improvement, Natural England - the government regulator - was forced to step in and threatened to cut the subsidy payment if the farmers don’t do what's necessary. This threat has led to questions about the regulator’s powers.

Prince William could be held responsible

Since Prince William owns the Duchy of Cornwall, campaigners are arguing that he is the one responsible as well as King Charles, the previous Duke of Cornwall. Dartmoor is classified as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), meaning it is important for the nation and must be protected.

As reported by Guardian, Prince William is the largest landowner, and could therefore be required in the payment debates since some of the farmers involved are tenants of Prince William’s duchy.

Environmental campaigner and Devon resident Guy Shrubsole said:

King Charles and Prince William have both spoken passionately about environmental issues for decades, but their rhetoric hasn’t always been matched by action when it comes to their Duchy of Cornwall landholdings.

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Sources used:

The Guardian: ‘King Charles and Prince William face fight over taxpayer funds on Dartmoor’