Prince William Plans to House Homeless People in Properties Owned by Duchy of Cornwall

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is considering an ambitious plan to house homeless people in properties owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

Although it's too early to talk of an inheritance, William is said to be mulling over this massive shake-up when he inherits his father, Prince of Wales' fortune.

The huge fortune is being managed by his dad, and he certainly has a variety of lavish homes to choose from for his worthy cause.

While it's no doubt a noble idea, beneficiaries might be surprised to find themselves transported to the Isles of Scilly, which boasts a selection of five-star holiday homes, or Cornwall, where they can enjoy sweeping country views from a 500-year-old manor house.

The Duke, who will inherit the 130,000-acre Duchy property portfolio when his father becomes king, has asked staff to research the possibility of housing those less fortunate than himself in some of the properties that will one day be under his control.

Some of the estate's urban buildings have now been converted for use by charities, decades after the prince first visited a homeless shelter with his late mother, Princess Diana.

A royal source told The Telegraph that the Duke is interested in finding ways to help alleviate the homelessness situation in any way he can.

William's efforts to help the homeless saw him become patron of Centrepoint in 2005, with the charity providing housing and support especially for young people in the UK.

In addition to visiting Centrepoint regularly, William famously slept out on the streets of London one December night in 2009 to benefit the charity.

Most recently, in September this year, Prince William told the Passage charity that the importance of eradicating homelessness had become highlighted by the Covid pandemic.

He said, “the last 18 months of the pandemic have shown us how much we rely on each other to get by, and just how strong our communities can be when we work together to get things done.

As we emerge from the pandemic, we now need to continue that collaboration to prevent and end homelessness.”

The Duchy of Cornwall was created by Edward III in 1337 and these days is a private estate that provides income to the eldest son of the reigning monarch, currently Prince Charles, as the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II.

When Prince Charles, as next in line to the throne, becomes king, Prince William will automatically inherit the estate, and likewise, when Prince William ascends to the throne, it will pass to Prince George.

It is a vast estate of land stretching across the United Kingdom, although a lot of the land is in Cornwall and the West Country, with Prince Charles as the Duke of Cornwall owning vast swathes of land and buildings across Cornwall.

The Duchy currently includes property in London and more than 130,000 acres of land in 23 counties of England and Wales.

It also includes 2,980 existing tenancy agreements, where farms and properties owned by the Duchy of Cornwall are let out to tenants and £314 million worth of commercial properties.

A lot of Prince Charles' estate is made up of farms and long-term lets, with the Duchy under Charles' leadership notably focusing on rural areas and the preservation of traditional ways of life.

From time to time, the Duchy uses its land to develop large-scale property building projects.

In keeping with Prince Charles' ethos of traditional ways of life, all the properties are built to traditional architectural styles, and eventually, it is aimed to comprise of 4,000 homes by 2043.

William's plan to house homeless people in Duchy properties is a noble cause and an excellent way to help alleviate the homelessness situation in the UK.

The fact that he has been patron of Centrepoint since 2005, and has regularly visited and slept out on the streets of London, shows his commitment to this cause.

The Duke's interest in finding ways to help those less fortunate than himself is commendable, and it's heartening to see him using his vast inheritance to make a difference in people's lives.

The fact that he plans to use properties owned by the Duchy of Cornwall to house the homeless is a smart move, and it will be interesting to see how this plan develops in the coming years.

As Prince William prepares to inherit his father's fortune, he is already thinking about how he can use it to make a difference in the world.

His plan to house the homeless in Duchy properties is just one example of his commitment to helping those less fortunate than himself.

It's a noble cause, and one that we should all support.