Latest news with #CrownEstate
West Australian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Royal Lodge standoff: Why Prince Andrew won't ‘downgrade' to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's former cottage
Prince Andrew is reportedly embroiled in a long-running dispute over his future at Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor estate he has called home since 2004. According to UK media reports, King Charles has been encouraging his younger brother to vacate the property in favour of Frogmore Cottage — the former residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — as part of efforts to slim down royal expenses. The smaller home would be a significant downgrade from Prince Andrew's current residence, but the Duke of York has refused to budge. The 64-year-old royal holds a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge, signed in 2003, and is said to have spent more than £7.5 million (A$15.5 million) on renovations. He currently lives there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. However, a fresh disagreement has emerged over who is responsible for the estate's costly external repairs. While Prince Andrew is believed to have maintained the interior of the property, Daily Mail columnist Ephraim Hardcastle reports there is a 'rumbling dispute' about funding major upkeep on the mansion's exterior. Prince Andrew isn't the only royal to pour millions into maintaining and renovating royal residences. Reports suggest Prince Harry and Meghan were never reimbursed for the personal funds they spent on modernising the Grade-II listed property Frogmore was originally intended as a long-term base for the couple, but just months after completing major renovations in 2019, initially funded in part by a Sovereign Grant and later fully reimbursed by the Sussexes, they stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California. That includes everything from an eco-friendly boiler system delivering low-carbon heat and endless hot water to top-tier security features, now lost to the Crown Estate. The couple had previously reimbursed £2.4 million in public funds used for the initial renovations after facing public criticism. Prince Andrew, once a dashing naval officer who served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s, has now become a royal pariah over his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, before quitting all royal duties in 2019 and then being stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has always denied. British media have reported that King Charles had cut off his allowance and wanted to oust the duke from his Royal Lodge. Despite mounting pressure, Prince Andrew is expected to remain at Royal Lodge until at least 2028. Under the terms of his lease, he may be entitled to a partial rebate on expenses if asked to vacate the property after 25 years of occupancy.
South Wales Argus
5 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
YesCymru take campaign letter to Downing Street
Directors Rob Hughes and Sam Murphy took the letter to 10 Downing Street as part of a national campaign for control of assets and revenues in Wales. The campaign has already garnered support from all 22 local authorities in Wales, the Senedd, and 75 per cent of the Welsh public. YesCymru argues that transferring control of these assets to Wales, as has already happened in Scotland, would support local economies and promote sustainable development. Mr Hughes said: "Wales has been overlooked and undervalued for far too long. "All we're asking for is fairness, and when that's denied, more and more people see independence as the only way forward. "This united support across Wales shows that YesCymru can bring people together behind a clear demand, and that real change is possible when voices across the country speak as one." Torfaen Council was the last Welsh local authority to back the transfer of Crown Estate powers, with a motion passed on June 10. The Crown Estate in Wales, worth over £850 million, currently sends its profits straight to the UK Treasury.
Metro
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Metro
Christian group threatens Westminster Council over 'indoctrinating' pride flags
A London council has been threatened with legal action after hanging trans-inclusive Pride flags around Regent Street from this weekend. Group Christian Concern says Westminster Council is 'indoctrinating' visitors to the famous West End location and breaching planning control. The Crown Estate, which owns most of the property on Regent Street, lodged plans in March to hoist hundreds of flags in 20 locations between mid-June and mid-July to support Pride events. But after being permitted by Westminster Council in mid-May, Christian Concern says the council is opening itself up to potential legal action. In recent years, the display has included over 300 LGBTQI+ Progress Pride flags, developed in 2018 by non-binary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar. Based on the iconic rainbow flag from 1978, the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community and calls for a more inclusive society, celebrating trans, black and brown, gender non-binary and intersex community members. But hardline Christians say the flags, which on June 22 will replace Union Jacks currently flying to mark VE Day, create division by excluding more traditional views. Christian Concern has previously made the point to the council that the Cass Review prohibits the indoctrination and confusion of primary school children with trans ideologies. But the group claims: 'The flags do just that, exposing the hundreds of thousands of children who walk up and down Regent Street, including those who visit Hamleys, to a message and symbols which will be unlawful to teach and display in schools.' Last year, Christian Concern launched a petition signed by 31,000 people calling for a similar display to be stopped. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'Many people experience these flags as an attack on historic, traditional beliefs about sex and gender. 'They send the message that people holding these views, which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, are not welcome. 'The majority of the public does not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag. At the heart of the flag is the trans flag – pink for girls, blue for boys and white for the 'transition' phase. 'This ideology has been discredited by the Cass Review, the closure of the Tavistock, and most recently Supreme Court ruling. When will the Crown estate catch up with the rest of society? 'If the council chooses to proceed with the display, we will have no option but to pursue legal action.' The proposed flags will be hung from supporting wires, making use of existing fixing points which are intended for reuse. In the planning report, Westminster planning officer Shaun Retzback noted that the flags would be hung at 20 locations along the street running from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly from June 22 until July 17. He said: 'Flags are, in principle, an acceptable, colourful addition to Regent Street's buildings and there is a longstanding tradition of such displays. More Trending 'The flags proposed, to be strung on lines across the street, are not harmful to visual amenity for the temporary period sought, neither are they harmful when considered cumulatively with other flags and banners displayed on buildings in the street at present and across the street from time to time.' A Westminster City Council spokesperson told Metro: 'The council supports festivals and celebrations from our different communities across the year. Pride is an annual and established fixture and has been supported by the Council for many years. 'Pride flags are in keeping with a cosmopolitan City that welcomes millions of visitors every year. All public community celebrations have a fixed duration and are both proportionate and fitting. Given similar pronouncements in previous years we await further information about the Christian Legal Centre's legal challenge with interest.' Metro contacted the Crown Estate. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: £20 Pan-Indian feast from a Michelin-starred chef: 10 unmissable Time Out deals MORE: Enjoy the weekend's heat with London's best boat restaurants MORE: 'Swan Whisperer' banned from Hyde Park after residents objected to him kissing the birds
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Offshore floating wind farms to power millions of homes, minister says
New floating windfarms, set to be among the biggest in the world, will create thousands of jobs and power millions of homes, a minister has said. Turbines up to 300m tall will sit on platforms floating off the coast of Wales, powering some four million homes under plans revealed on Thursday. The project, which is jointly run by the Crown Estate, Equinor and Gwynt Glas, is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, with several wind farms to be constructed. The turbines are expected to be assembled in Bristol and Port Talbot, from where they will be towed out to the final project sites. Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, said the announcement was 'great news' for the country, and could create some 5,300 new jobs. Speaking to the PA news agency on a visit to Port Talbot, she said: 'These are going to be the biggest offshore floating wind farms in the world, and they're going to be off the coast of Wales. 'It is going to create thousands of jobs, power four million homes and bring down energy bills. 'This is really, really good news for Wales, and especially for young people and people wanting apprenticeships, because there are guarantees within the process that there will be specific apprenticeships and jobs for young people.' The minister's visit also follows the announcement of funding for the redevelopment of the port in Port Talbot as part of the spending review last week. The Crown Estate – which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is making a £400 million investment in the UK's offshore wind supply chain. While profits from the Crown Estate go to the Treasury, it is owned by the monarch and run independently. The Crown Estate owns the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed. Management of Crown Estate assets has been a controversial issue in Wales, with Welsh Labour calling for management to be devolved as it has in Scotland. Labour in Westminster has refused to allow the Welsh Government to take control. Ms Stevens said Thursday's announcement 'vindicated' the UK Government's position. She said: 'Today's announcement is a real vote of confidence in floating offshore wind as a new technology and industry. 'This will be the biggest floating off in the world. 'In order to deliver that and deliver those thousands of jobs and the billions of pounds of investment, you have to have certainty, and investors need to know that the situation is certain.' Asked if Scotland would not be able to get a similar scheme, she said it would 'put it at risk.' 'There is a significant risk, if you bring uncertainty into the process, that developers and investors will go elsewhere.' She insisted it was not a question of whether the Welsh Government could be trusted with the Crown Estate. Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru's energy spokesperson in Westminster, pushed back against Ms Stevens, arguing Scotland is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate. 'Until we devolve the Crown Estate, the process of extracting wealth from Wales's natural resources will continue,' Ms Medi said. 'The Labour First Minister of Wales made a big pitch that she would not let Westminster 'take our wind'. 'It's clear that those efforts have not been effective, as the fees and profits from this announcement will be given to the Treasury in Whitehall rather than being retained for the Welsh public purse for the benefit of our communities.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said floating offshore wind will be 'transformative' for economic growth in Wales and the south west of England. He said: 'The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower, so we can get energy bills down for good.' Speaking to PA, Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, said it was a 'really significant announcement', branding it the birth of a new global industry. 'This is a brand new approach to energy, it's cutting-edge technology,' she said. 'People are going to have to work out how effective this is, how do you do it properly. 'I have been speaking to a lot of these energy companies and a lot of supply chains to say 'base yourself in Wales'.'
The National
12 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Yes Cymru deliver Crown Estate campaign letter to Downing Street
All 22 local authorities in Wales, the Senedd, and an overwhelming 75% of the Welsh public have supported the campaign on, with the final council voting unanimously to support the proposal last week. In the letter, YesCymru set out the case for the transfer, stating that "Westminster's failure to act is strengthening the case for independence" and driving public support. Thee group highlighted the significant rise in backing for an independent Wales, from around 5% before the 2014 Scottish referendum to 41% in the most recent poll, conducted in April. READ MORE: Robin McAlpine: Why support for independence is surging in Wales Campaigners are calling for the management of Crown Estate assets in Wales to be devolved to the Welsh Government, and for the profits from these sites to stay in Wales also, instead of going to the UK Treasury. Crown Estate Scotland manages seabed, coastline, rural estates and other assets, delivering the profits to the Scottish Government for public spending. The Crown Estate in Wales, valued at over £850 million, generates significant revenue from Welsh land and seabeds. Several peers argued in October that it is only fair to devolve the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government, given Scottish assets were devolved to Scotland in 2016. Director of YesCymru, Rob Hughes, said: "Wales has been overlooked and undervalued for far too long. All we're asking for is fairness, and when that's denied, more and more people see independence as the only way forward." The letter outlines that YesCymru is willing to engage constructively with the UK Government, not only on transferring the Crown Estate but also on preparing the way for a referendum on Welsh independence. Hughes concluded: "This united support across Wales shows that YesCymru can bring people together behind a clear demand, and that real change is possible when voices across the country speak as one."
