Documentary series goes behind the scenes with Charles on Duchy estate

Updated

The Prince of Wales has been interviewed for a two-part documentary to mark his 50th working year as the Duke of Cornwall.

ITV has commissioned the series with the working title Inside The Duchy and has said the programmes will offer unprecedented insight into the institution.

In the interviews, Charles explains the way the Duchy is run to reflect his belief that economic development works best when in harmony with the natural world and local communities.

The cameras follow the heir to the throne who, in his role as a landlord, farmer, and custodian of the estate, is very much the hands-on inspiration behind The Duchy Family.

The Prince of Wales meets Richard Kerslake during a visit to the Mildren Homes development on Duchy of Cornwall land in Fordington, Dorset. Ben Birchall/PA Wire
The Prince of Wales meets Richard Kerslake during a visit to the Mildren Homes development on Duchy of Cornwall land in Fordington, Dorset. Ben Birchall/PA Wire

The Duchy estate was established by Edward III to provide a private income for his son and heir to the throne Edward, later known as the Black Prince, and its purpose remains the same today.

Charles became the 24th Duke of Cornwall on the Queen’s accession to the throne in 1952 and at the age of 21, in 1969, he became entitled to the full income from the Duchy and took over its management.

Today it is a private portfolio of land, financial investments and property – including the Oval cricket ground and 67,000 acres of Dartmoor – which funds the public, charitable and private activities of the prince and his immediate family.

The 2017/18 accounts for the Duchy showed Charles’s annual income from the private estate had increased by 5% to £21.7 million.

Jo Clinton-Davis, ITV controller of factual, said: “We’re excited to have a landmark documentary offering viewers a unique, close quarters and intimate view of the Duchy and His Royal Highness’s role and working life within it.”

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