The royal family has used an opaque procedure to approve legislation that has prevented tenants living in Prince Charles’ estate from purchasing their own homes, the Guardian reported Tuesday.
Under an obscure parliamentary procedure known as Queen’s consent, Prince Charles and his mother were allowed to vet parliamentary bills that may have impacted the crown and approve them before they became law, according to the Guardian.
The royal family’s ability to vet the legislation enabled them to secure special exemptions in three parliamentary acts spanning from 1967 to 2002 that prevented residents living in the Duchy of Cornwall’s property from buying their own homes, the Guardian reported.
Unfortunately for residents, the exemptions have left them living in homes with marginal or no financial value, according to the British newspaper. (RELATED: British Troops Reportedly ‘Disgusted’ Over Prince Harry’s Behavior, Former Royal Marine Claims)
Revealed: The Queen or Prince Charles have vetted more than 1,000 laws https://t.co/OEti1X1raE
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 9, 2021
Because they lack the legal right to own their own homes due to the exemptions, many feel the system is unfairly rigged towards the royal family to the detriment of ordinary Britons.
Jane Giddins, a tenant living in one of the prince’s houses in Somerset, said a “feudal and anachronistic” system had preferentially favored Charles over her family’s legal right to purchase their own home.
“When we die, our kids will be left with a property that is very difficult to sell,” Giddins told the Guardian.
The special treatment enables the Prince to preserve the financial value of the estate and ensure a steady stream of income in the form of rent payments from occupants living on the property, according to the Guardian.
Profits from the estate account for approximately $22 million of Prince Charles’s private income, shared the newspaper.
The Duchy of Cornwall’s estate was established in 1337 and spans a sprawling 128,000 acres. The estate extends across 21 counties in England and Wales, shared the British news group.