The Prince of Wales travels all over the UK and abroad for his public engagements; there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes as well.
William, 44, has been forced to take on more responsibility since becoming Prince of Wales in 2022, including becoming the owner of the Duchy of Cornwall – a land and property empire, which provides an income to the heir to the throne.
In a previous interview with The Telegraph, it was revealed that William "tries to visit part of the Duchy once every four to six weeks, working his way through its farms and offices to meet families and staff, shake hands and quiz them on what he can do to help.
"His visits are usually private, rarely making the Court Circular and kept quiet by loyal locals who are used to royal comings and goings."
© GettyThe Duchy comprises an extensive portfolio of land, properties and agricultural land primarily in south-west England, spanning 128,494 acres of land across 20 counties.
In one particularly memorable public engagement, William visited young farmers at Folly Farm in Somerset, where he was joined by the stars of Clarkson's Farm.
As the 25th Duke of Cornwall, the Prince is determined to modernise the Duchy by putting "social impact" at its centre, through his capacity as patron of We Are Farming Minds, a Duchy of Cornwall-supported charity, set up to help farmers experiencing isolation and mental health issues.
The newspaper reveals that as well as chairing a quarterly meeting of The Prince's Council and attending numerous other committees, in a 21st-century take, William communicates with the Duchy's staff via WhatsApp.
© GettyIt adds that William also "films and sends regular video messages for Duchy-related events – a river conservation meeting this month, a charity boxing night". And he also attended the agricultural festival Groundswell last year after a recommendation by a Duchy tenant.
How much income does William receive?
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of the largest and oldest landed estates in Britain and was created in 1337 by Edward III to support his son and heir Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince, and all his subsequent heirs.
Prince William’s private income from the Duchy of Cornwall for the 2024-2025 financial year was £22.9 million. The surplus is used to fund his and Princess Kate's official public duties, charitable endeavours, staff costs, and private family life.
It was recently reported that the Prince of Wales plans to sell around one-fifth of his Duchy of Cornwall property empire over the next ten years. He now plans to invest £500 million, largely from land sales, to have a "positive" impact on tackling housing and environmental issues, according to The Times.
© GettyWill Bax, who has been chief executive of the Duchy since 2024, told the paper: "If we don’t see an opportunity for positive impact, then perhaps we don’t need to be a part of that place."
He added: "But where there is social need and where there is environmental challenge and where there is an opportunity to enable change, then we’ll be a great partner in working with people to achieve that."
The money is used to fund the official, charitable and private lives of William, Kate and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but not their travel.
