King Charles’s private property estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, has reportedly generated over £1 million from selling land for projects linked to the High-Speed 2 (HS2) rail line, which is no longer going ahead. The Duchy collected £1,132,400 from land sales associated with road works near a proposed hub station in Crewe, Cheshire, despite claiming to be self-financing and not reliant on taxpayer funds.
The Duchy, established to support the reigning monarch’s income, acquired an expansive estate of 1,400 hectares in 1936, centered around the historic Crewe Hall. In recent years, the Duchy sold sections of this land to facilitate new infrastructure developments, benefiting from exemptions from many business taxes.
The HS2 project, which aimed to significantly reduce travel times between Crewe and London while also connecting other major cities, was announced in 2009 and formally advanced by a coalition government in 2012. The anticipated development was expected to bring an influx of passengers and boost the local economy by £750 million annually by 2036. However, plans stalled as project costs escalated, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the northern phase in 2023.
During the project’s planning, the Duchy was able to negotiate land prices freely, as it is not subject to the compulsory purchase laws that affect other landowners. Payments were made for land sales between 2012 and 2017, particularly under the late Queen Elizabeth II’s administration.
The income from the Duchy, which amounted to £26.5 million last year, is tax-exempt, and while the king reportedly pays some income tax on profits, specific disclosures are not mandated. Following public scrutiny over profits derived from public projects, the Duchy announced plans to review its operational policies. Meanwhile, ongoing investigations into its financial dealings with taxpayer-funded organizations, including an £11.4 million agreement with an NHS trust, continue to unfold.
As the local authority, Cheshire East council, grapples with the fallout from the HS2 cancellation, it has received government funding to alleviate its financial burdens.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/20/king-made-more-than-1m-selling-land-for-leg-of-hs2-that-was-scrapped