The Wales⁵

The Times.

Prince William will sell off a fifth of the Duchy of Cornwall in the next ten years as he plans to invest £500 million in tackling the housing and nature crises, The Times can reveal.

The Duke of Cornwall will consolidate his holdings around five geographic “heartlands”, focusing on the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Dartmoor, the Bath area and Kennington, south London, where he feels he can make the biggest social and environmental impact.

Will Bax, chief executive of the duchy, said the next decade would be an era of change after William decided the duchy “shouldn’t just exist to own land. It should first and foremost exist to have a positive impact on the world.”

Bax, who became chief executive of the duchy in 2024, said that William had given him a mandate to tackle climate change, nature decline and the housing crisis on the estate, as well as driving economic growth in struggling communities and increasing renewable energy development.

He said William planned to invest £500 million, made up from land sales, development income, partnerships and borrowing, into his priorities over the next decade. This includes pumping about £160 million into housing solutions, such as building much-needed affordable homes in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall and Kennington. 

Through a portfolio of land owned on “urban fringe locations” the duchy also hopes to “unlock about 10,000 to 12,000 homes between now and 2040”, Bax said. They will underwrite about £120 million pounds of reinvestment into workplaces and places “that will create economy”, such as doubling the size of the industrial park on St Mary’s, the largest of the Scilly isles, and finding ways of enabling entrepreneurship on Dartmoor to give young people an economic future in the national park.

There is also a goal to build 100MW of renewable energy in the next ten years, enough to power up to 100,000 homes, and invest £20 million into environmental recovery schemes, while working with partners, such as wildlife trusts and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to leverage more than £200 million into wildlife projects.

Bax said: “The duke talks about the seesaw of ensuring that we create optionality, by being commercial where it’s easier to be in order to really double down on need, where we know that we can be game changing in how we invest.”

The Princess of Wales’s visit to Italy, which begins today, is the first in what will be a series of overseas trips looking into how different countries and cultures raise their children. It’s part of a new schedule of overseas visits she has planned, as she hopes to bring some of the best practices into her work within the UK system through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

On Wednesday, The Princess of Wales will launch the report Foundations for Life during an engagement at the University of East London.

The report, published by the Royal foundation, presents research on child development from birth to the age of five, including the harmful effects of “technoference” - the disruption of relationships caused by technology. It also introduces a new resource designed to support professionals and volunteers working with babies, young children, and their families.

It emphasises that children do not need perfect parents, but “good enough” ones, and highlights the importance of building strong human skills in a generation growing up in an AI-driven world.

During the visit to Italy, the Princess will join a “high-level fact-finding mission” to understand the Reggio Emilia approach, a recognised philosophy in early-years education which places relationships and environment at the heart of bringing up a child.

She will spend time with teachers, parents, children and civic leaders on the visit, which is designed to highlight the importance of a child’s environment and relationships.

The Princess of Wales will visit Reggio Emilia on May 13–14 as part of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s growing international work.

The visit will focus on early childhood development, exploring the globally respected Reggio Emilia approach centred on relationships, environment, and community.

Question is, what should the BRF do? Frankly, I’m tired of the two playing like this for years now with no consequences. They have completely ruined royal watching.

What can the BRF actually do? Nothing. The moment to act came and went over five years ago. If anything was going to be done, it should have been in 2018, but nothing happened. In fact, that was when things really started to go downhill. Now all they can do is sit back and wait for the train to fully derail or, somehow, come to a stop.

What is certain is that this isn’t sustainable for Harry. He can’t keep pretending to be something he no longer is forever, and that’s something he clearly doesn’t grasp. Whatever his limit turns out to be, it will likely come when William becomes king, and his children take on a more visible public role, or whenever something else forces the issue first. One thing Harry was never wrong about was saying he had until George grew up to stay relevant. That relevance is already pretty thin as it is, so imagine what it’ll look like in a couple of years. That said, it doesn’t mean he’ll stop doing these kinds of visits or stop trying to project influence off the back of his titles and his family. It just means there’ll come a point where it all looks as ridiculous as the Greeks.

I also think we’ve ruined royal watching for ourselves, especially in the past few years. I still maintain it’s this fandom that gives them relevance and amplifies whatever they do. More than once, I’ve found out about something they’ve done because someone with Catherine’s profile picture posted about it, before the Daily Mail had even picked it up. That tells the press there’s interest, for better or worse. And they’re in a position where any publicity is good publicity, I suppose.

the Duke was asked whether he recognised the description of himself as “not a working royal”. He said: “I will always be part of the Royal family and I’m here working and doing the very thing I was born to do. - The Telegraph-

What he is doing relies on interpreting everything in the most literal and self-serving way possible. That is exactly what allows him to keep travelling around the world under the guise of “tours” or official-looking visits. It creates the illusion that he still holds relevance on an international stage. In reality, that relevance is largely self-constructed. He is not an official representative of any government, yet he behaves as if he carries institutional authority. In his mind, representing a monarchy, or even just being connected to one, is enough to justify that behaviour. That belief is central to everything. It explains why his titles matter so much to him. It explains why there is such insistence on using them in every context, even in situations that have nothing to do with public service. Those titles are not just labels. They are the foundation of his identity and the only thing that gives weight to what he does. Without them, there is very little left to justify the image he is trying to project.

There is also a deeper issue here, which is not just about perception but about complicity. The countries and institutions that receive him often play along with this performance. Whether it is out of politeness, opportunism, or simple indifference, they reinforce the idea that his presence carries official significance. That validation feeds the narrative he has built for himself. Situations like the one involving the armed forces in Australia, and even more so what has been seen in Ukraine, are not just isolated incidents. They are examples of how easily this illusion is sustained when no one challenges it.

What makes it more concerning is that he appears to genuinely believe in this version of reality. He does not seem to see himself as a private citizen trying to build an independent role. Instead, he acts as though he still holds a form of inherited authority. He speaks and behaves as if he has the right to influence matters that would normally be reserved for official figures. In his view, being the son of a head of state automatically grants him a degree of ongoing power and legitimacy, even when that is no longer formally the case. That is where the disconnect becomes most obvious.

All of these trips ultimately serve a personal purpose. They are not grounded in clear responsibility or accountability. They function as a way to maintain a sense of importance. His wife’s role in this dynamic seems more passive and pragmatic. She appears to go along with it because it is necessary and occasionally beneficial, but there is little indication that she is genuinely invested in the same narrative. The energy behind it does not seem to come from her.

At its core, this situation feels like an attempt to fill a gap that has never really been addressed. He has spent his entire life defined by proximity to power rather than by personal achievement. First it was his parents, then the institution, then his brother, and even now there are moments where he is overshadowed by his own partner. There has never been a clear, independent identity separate from those structures. That absence becomes more noticeable over time.

Now, in his forties, there is a visible effort to hold on to something that provides meaning, even if it is built on shaky ground. The constant references to his past, to his birth status, and to defining moments like his mother’s funeral, suggest that those are still the pillars he relies on to explain who he is. Instead of moving beyond them, he seems to circle back to them repeatedly.

In the end, all of this comes across as an attempt to mask a very simple reality. He does not seem to know how to exist outside the framework he was born into. Being a royal is not just part of his identity, it is almost the entirety of it. Without that framework, there is very little substance left to support the image he is trying to maintain.

In short, what looks like international engagement or continued service is, in reality, a carefully sustained illusion. It depends on titles, on perception, and on the willingness of others to treat it as meaningful. Strip those elements away, and what remains is not influence or authority, but a person still trying to prove he matters in a world where those inherited markers no longer carry the same weight.

The Prince of Wales has revealed his “quiet faith” and “commitment to the Church of England”, in a significant move redefining his role as future King and supreme governor.

Days before he attends the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement this week, Prince William has moved to “draw a line in the sand” on the issue.

After years of doubt, William, who was baptised at six weeks old and confirmed at the age of 14, has addressed questions for the first time about his personal faith and confirmed his wish to establish “a strong and meaningful bond with the Church and its leadership”.

A source close to the prince said: “This week is an opportunity to be very clear in people’s minds, when he walks into Canterbury Cathedral, of where he stands. For him, it is a drawing of a line in the sand of where he’s at and it’s really important that it [the question over his commitment to the Church] is cleared up.

“His feeling is, ‘I might not be at church every day but I believe in it, I want to support it and this is an important aspect of my role and the next role and I will take it very seriously, in my own way’.”

His intervention signals that his relationship with the Church will “evolve” from that of previous monarchs, whose strong faith underpinned their reigns. 

An aide to William told The Sunday Times: “The Prince of Wales’s commitment to the Church of England is sometimes quieter than people expect, and for that reason it is not always fully understood.

“Those who know him well recognise that his connection to the Church, and to the sense of duty that comes with it, runs deep and is grounded in something personal and sincere. Faith, service and responsibility are themes that have long shaped the role he will one day inherit, and they are things he approaches in his own thoughtful way.

“At a time when institutions can be seen simply through a social or cultural lens, he understands that the Church’s role goes beyond this. It is not only part of the nation’s heritage, but a living expression of faith, rooted in prayer, compassion and a belief in grace and redemption.”

The aide added: “True to his character, he approaches these relationships as his authentic self. As he looks ahead to the responsibilities he will one day assume as supreme governor, he is keen to build a strong and meaningful bond with the Church and its leadership, one that respects tradition while speaking to a modern Britain, and reflects his broader belief that institutions must continue to remain relevant and connected to the people they serve.

“He understands the importance of the role he will inherit and is committed to carrying it forward with sincerity, authenticity and a clear sense of purpose.”

A royal aide said: “The prince recently had a warm and substantive conversation with the new archbishop, reflecting his genuine interest not only in the Church’s work, but in its role as a guardian of a distinctive and ancient English spiritual tradition that remains relevant in contemporary life.”

A royal source said: “The prince and princess both feel it’s important to build up that relationship and a new archbishop is a really great opportunity for that. She’s also an Aston Villa fan, which helps.”

A source close to Mullally said she was “really delighted” the Waleses will attend her installation, and described the new relationship between William and the archbishop as “a turning of a page” which had already led to significantly increased communication between Kensington Palace and Lambeth Palace.

Those close to William say he is also mindful that Mullally is likely to officiate at his coronation and help to prepare him for his role as supreme governor.